§ Mr. MULDOONasked the Chief Secretary whether Mr. Francis Shields, solicitor, of Omagh, county Tyrone, was employed for many years by the Irish Land Commission to sue for arrears due by the occupying proprietors; whether he was in the year 1895 discontinued and at the same time complimented upon the manner in and the efficiency with which he had discharged his duties; and can he explain why he was discontinued, seeing that the Land Commission were only seeking for the men who would most efficiently discharge the duties?
§ Mr. BIRRELLMr. Shields was employed by the Land Commission in the years 1892 to 1894 as local solicitor in the recovery of land purchase annuities in county Tyrone, in addition to another firm of solicitors which was then, and had been for many years previously, employed in the recovery of arrears due to the Church Fund in that county. The Commissioners eventually decided that the employment of a second firm of solicitors in county Tyrone was not necessary, and the work was accordingly consolidated in 1894, and given to the firm first employed, one member of the firm being sessional Crown solicitor for the county. It is now, and 979W has for many years been the practice of the Commissioners to employ one solicitor or firm only for all purposes in a county.