§ Mr. GINNELLasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he can specify any provision in the statutes which the Estates Commissioners have been appointed to administer authorising their new policy of holding up and letting exclusively for grazing purposes untenanted and nonresidential grass-lands acquired by them under those statutes expressly for distribution among uneconomic holders and landless people for tillage and mixed farming; in what countries do they now hold up land in this way, and how much in each; how much land of this class have they distributed in each of those counties within the present year; in view of the partial suspension of the normal work of the Commissioners and their staff and of the necessity for increasing food production, if he will explain why they withhold any land from the class entitled by statute to it and eager to cultivate it; if the new policy has any object but to force-practical agriculturists to enlist, will he say what it is; and what is the approximate area of land of the class in question remaining in each of the counties mentioned to be distributed under those statutes?
§ Mr. DUKEAs regards the first part of the question, the Commissioners have not adopted any new policy in letting lands acquired by them under the Land Purchase Acts. The Commissioners have already distributed 309,856 acres of untenanted land in the creation of new holdings or the enlargement of existing holdings under the Irish Land Acts, 1903–1909, which has thus been made available for the purposes mentioned in the question. This 309,356 acres includes some 18,000 acres distributed since the outbreak of the War. The Commissioners have also completed arrangements for the allotment of an additional 2,600 acres at an early date, namely, 1,670 in Galway, 300 in Meath, and 630 in Westmeath, and schemes will be made as soon as possible for the allotment and equipment with buildings, fences, etc., where necessary of the remaining 1,855924W acres acquired by the Commissioners and not yet distributed, namely, 1,182 in Galway, 533 in Meath, and 120 in Westmeath. During the year ended 30th ultimo the Commissioners have already allotted 6,116 acres in these counties, namely, 5,500 in Galway and 616 in Westmeath.