§ Mr. SWIFT MacNEILLasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland what progress, if any, has been made with the sale of the Barton Boyton and Colquhoun estates, in the parish of Inver, county Donegal, with reference to which there have been negotiations, extending over a long period, with the Congested Districts Board, and what is the prospect of the division of the large grazing ranch known as Brenter; and whether, having regard to the urgency for the expediting of these matters in the interests of peace and well-being of the inhabitants of these districts and the keen disappointment created by the delay, steps will be immediately taken for the settlement of these matters?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Congested Districts Board inform me that the necessary documents have been lodged in the case of the estate of Colonel B. J. Barton, and an inspection will be made and a decision arrived at regarding purchase as soon as practicable. As regards the Boyton estate, the owner has two estates, one of which is being sold direct to the tenants through the Estates Commissioners, and she prefers not to sell to the tenants on the other estate pending the completion of the first sale. In the case of the Colquhoun estate, the owner is willing to negotiate for sale, and the necessary steps and schedules are being prepared, and the property will be inspected as soon as practicable. The farm of Brenter forms part of the estate of Mr. George Bustard, and the Board have recently taken steps with a view to purchasing the estate.