HC Deb 18 May 1915 vol 71 cc2164-5W
Sir THOMAS ESMONDE

asked the Chief Secretary if the Irvine estate, situate in the county Wexford, is not yet finally purchased, will he direct the Estates Commissioners to send down a valuer to value the property to see if it is sufficient guarantee for the amount of the purchase money, as in several instances arrears of rent are stated to be added to the purchase money at the time of signing for purchase, and in many cases no Land Commissioner ever settled a fair rent on the land; and if, considering the present state of prices of living, he will direct a a valuation of the property before the advance is made?

Mr. BIRRELL

The purchase agreements signed by the tenants on the Irvine estate are at prices which, in the great majority of the holdings, come within the zone provisions of Section 1 of the Irish Land Act, 1903, and in these cases the holdings are under the Statute deemed to be security for the advances applied for by the tenants. The Estates Commissioners inform me that the holdings which do not come within the zones will be inspected at an early date for the purpose of ascertaining whether they are adequate security for the advances for which application has been made.

Sir T. ESMONDE

also asked the amount of land purchase arrears paid in county Wexford by the purchasers since the last statement of deficiency supplied to the county council; if previous arrears paid have been credited to the county council; and if payments made in abatement of the last deficiency will be similarly credited?

Mr. BIRRELL

The amount of land purchase arrears recovered from defaulting annuitants in county Wexford since the last draft was made on the Guarantee Fund in the early part of the present year is £2,907. The answer to the last two parts of the question is in the affirmative.

Mr. LUNDON

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland if he will state in how many cases since 1903 the Land Commission has failed to make defaulting purchase annuitants in county Limerick pay up, giving each year separately, and the total, if any, of such irrecoverable annuities?

Mr. BIRRELL

There has so far been no case of ultimate failure to recover arrears of Land Purchase Annuities under the Irish Land Act, 1903, in county Limerick, none of which have accordingly been written off as irrecoverable.