§ Mr. COCHRANEasked the Lord Advocate whether the purchase price of Vatersay will form a charge upon the sum allocated to the Congested Districts Board for Scotland or will be provided under a separate Vote?
§ Mr. UREThe price will be a charge upon the funds of the Congested Districts Board, as I informed the hon. Member on 15th March.
§ Mr. YOUNGERasked the Lord Advocate whether he will print with the Votes the recent correspondence with Mr. Duncan Campbell as supplementary to the Vatersay Papers issued this week?
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§ Mr. UREThe following communication was made from the Scottish Office on the 2nd April in reply to a letter from Mr. Duncan Campbell requesting on behalf of the squatters at Vatersay that their agent should be consulted in regard to the settlement of the island:—
"With reference to your letter of the 24th ultimo, I am directed by the Secretary for Scotland to inform you that, as you are already aware, the farm of Vatersay has been purchased on behalf of the Congested Districts Board after negotiations to which it was obviously impossible that any third party having no legal interest in the property could be a party. The arrangements for settling the island will be made in accordance with the usual practice of the Congested Districts Board and in direct communication with the selected applicants for the land. The Congested Districts Board will not refuse to consider suggestions bearing on the settlement, from whatever quarter received, but they are unable to recognise any preferential claim to be consulted on the part of yourself or any other applicants, and they must reserve full discretion as to the division of the land, the choice of the settlers, and otherwise in dealing with the matter."