§ Mr. VINCENT KENNEDYasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he will say whether receivable orders were issued on the Crookenden and Casey estate, county Cavan, for the last May rent; if so, how many were subsequently cancelled; were the same withdrawn; if so, how soon was it after the original issue was dispatched; will he say who was responsible for this transaction; whether it is intended to refund the moneys overpaid for the aforesaid May rent; and, if so, when?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Land Commission inform me that on the estate referred to 461 receivable orders which had been prepared in advance were, prior to 1st May last, issued for interest in lieu of rent due 1st May, 1909, under the agreements for purchase, which were signed between the vendors and the tenants some years back. The proceedings having been transferred from a "direct sale" to a sale under Section 6 of the Act of 1903, new receivable orders, based on the new undertakings, were forwarded on 6th May, 1909, to the tenant purchasers, with a request to destroy the receivable orders previously sent. In only 38 cases was the interest paid upon the receivable orders first sent out, and in these cases the total overpayments made, owing to the purchase moneys having been reduced, only amounted to £7 14s. 9d. The tenants who so paid this small excess will be credited with this payment when the current gale of interest is being collected. In no case was interest in lieu of rent paid twice over.