§ Mr. FFRENCHasked the Chief Secretary if he would direct a Return to be laid 861W upon the Table of the House of Commons, showing the names of the officials of the Land Commission and their salaries, and a general statement showing their duties in the various offices; will he say whether the expenses of the Land Commission are nearly £1,000 a day to sell out property amounting to £7,000,000 a year; how many examiners of title are there; will he consider the advisability of having an inquiry made into the system by which the Land Commission conducts the business; has any of the staff been cut down owing to the decrease of business in the Land Commission since the passing of the last Land Act; and is he aware that the tenants in South Wexford are complaining of the delay in carrying out the sales, as they understand there is plenty of money to be had?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Estimates for the Land Commission give full particulars of the number of officials of the different grades and their rates of salary. It would be impracticable to furnish a return showing the duties of the various officers, numbering over 600. It is incorrect to suggest that the expenses of administration amounts to £1,000 a day. Excluding the extraneous charges, which are borne on the Land Commission Vote, the expenses of administration amount to about £160,000 per annum. In addition to the carrying out of sales, the work of the Land Commission includes the collection of nearly £4,000,000 per annum, the fixing of fair rents, the administration of Church property, the improvement of estates, and the distribution of untenanted land purchased by the Estates Commissioners, and the administration of the Evicted Tenants and other Acts. There are eighteen examiners of title. The fair-rent staff now numbers less than one-third the staff of some years ago. There has been no unnecessary delay in carrying out sales. Nearly £7,500,000 were advanced last financial year, and it is anticipated that this amount will be considerably exceeded during the present year. County Wexford cases, like all others, are dealt with in order of priority.