§ Mr. GUINEYasked the Chief Secretary if he will say in how many estates in the county Cork the Estates Commissioners have instituted proceedings for the compulsory acquirement of untenanted land; in how many have they been successful, in how many have they been unsuccessful, and the number of estates in which proceedings are pending; how many estates have been offered for voluntary acquirement; the number acquired by voluntary agreement; and the number and area of the estates acquired but not yet allotted to tenants?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Estates Commissioners have instituted proceedings for the compulsory acquisition of lands situate on thirty-four estates in county Cork under the provisions of the Evicted Tenants Act, 1907. In the case of fifteen1368W of these the lands have been acquired, in two cases the proceedings are still pending, and in two cases the lands are being acquired under the voluntary provisions of the Irish Land Act, 1903, while in the remaining cases the proceedings were discontinued on consideration of objections filed under the Act. Seventy-eight estates in county Cork have been offered for sale to the Commissioners under the voluntary provisions of the Irish Land Acts 1903 and 1909, of which fifty-five have ben acquired to date, and all untenanted lands situate on them have been allotted.
§ Mr. GUINEYasked how many holdings in the county Cork purchased under the Land Act of 1903 have been vested in the tenant purchasers during the six months ended 30th September, 1911; the number of estates purchased under this Act in county Cork which have been inspected during the same period and in which vesting orders have not been issued; and in how many cases in this county have the vendors signified their intention of accepting part land stock and part cash as payment for property sold under the Land Act of 1903?
§ Mr. BIRRELLIn the county Cork 535 holdings purchased under the Land Act, 1903, have been vested in the tenant purchasers during the six months ended 30th last. The records of the Estates Commissioners do not classify by counties for the purposes mentioned in the question estates pending before them, a number of which are situate in more than one county. The information asked for in the concluding paragraph is not available, and could not be obtained without an undue expenditure of time and labour out of all proportion to its public utility.
§ Mr. O'DONNELLasked whether the inspector who last reported on the application of Mr. W. O'Neill, Banha, Killorglin, never met the applicant or inspected his receipts and title deeds, which show that Mr. O'Neill was paying rent as an ordinary tenant till 1865, when he was evicted for non-payment of rent; and whether, in face of this fact, special instructions will be given to an inspector to inquire fully into this case at the earliest possible moment?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Estates Commissioners are not aware whether the inspector referred to when he visited this estate in connection with the proceedings for sale under the Irish Land Act, 1903, saw 1369W O'Neill, but on local inquiry and from documentary evidence it was ascertained that O'Neill had never paid rent to the estate as tenant of the lands to which he seeks reinstatement, and which now form part of the owner's demesne. O'Neill had the grazing of the lands from the person who held this portion of the demesne temporarily during the minority of the owner, but even if O'Neill had been tenant of the lands they could not, being demesne lands, be acquired under the Evicted Tenants Act, and the Commissioners will not provide him with another holding.