§ Mr. CHARLES CRAIGasked the Chief Secretary whether his attention has been called to the fact that the principal register of direct sales, referred to in the provisional regulations made by the Lord Lieutenant under Section 4 of The Irish Land Act, 1909, contains cases in which the purchase money had been lodged in bank or distributed before the notice of the Estates Commissioners was published in the "Dublin Gazette" of 18th February; whether, to prevent persons searching the said register being misled as to the number of cases and amount of purchase money having priority of their own claims, he will state the number of such cases, their record numbers, and the total amount of the purchase money comprised in them; and whether he will direct that the register should be corrected by striking such cases out of it?
§ Mr. BIRRELL:I am informed by the Land Commission that the principal register referred to in the question was prepared in pursuance of the regulations of the Lord Lieutenant, dated 15th February, 1910, under conditions of extreme urgency, and was as far as possible a correct return of the pending cases. When first prepared the particulars of over 5,600 cases were entered thereon, and by inadvertence a very few cases where the purchase money had been advanced were included. This register does not at present contain any cases in which the purchase money has been so advanced, and cases where the purchase money has since been advanced have also been eliminated. It should be understood that the register will alter week by week as advances are made.