§ Mr. SAMUEL YOUNGasked the Chief Secretary what is the cause of the delay in completing the purchase of the Reginald Crawford estate, county Cavan, seeing that terms were agreed upon over six years ago?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThis estate is the subject of proceedings for sale direct by the vendor to the tenants under the Irish Land Act, 1903, and is on the principal register of direct sales (all cash). It will be dealt with in order of priority, and the Estates Commissioners anticipate that it will be reached in its turn next year.
§ Mr. VINCENT KENNEDYasked the Chief Secretary how many applications for sub-division of purchased holdings have been received for the last five years by the Irish Land Commission; how many of these applications have been granted; will he state in the cases where applications were refused the several grounds of said refusal; and in how many cases did the Commissioners refuse to consent to subdivision?
§ Mr. BIRRELLIn the five years ended 30th June, 1,657 applications for the consent of the Land Commission to the subdivisions of purchased holdings were received; in 1,467 cases consent was given, and in the remaining 190 cases consent was refused. It is within the statutory discretion of the Commissioners to give or withhold their consent, and they do not consider it desirable to publish the grounds upon which the several applications were refused. The Commissioners do not usually withhold their consent unless the proposed sub-division would result in the creation of uneconomic holdings or the impairment of the security for the advance.
§ Mr. VINCENT KENNEDYasked the Chief Secretary whether the Estates Commissioners have any representatives in county Cavan who advise them as to lands obtainable for reinstating evicted tenants; 822W is he aware that in the present year several farms of land in county Cavan could have been acquired for evicted tenants and enlarging uneconomical holdings; and will he say whether the Estates Commissioners have been so informed, and what, if any, steps they took?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Estates Commissioners make such inquiries as they may consider necessary as regards lands which they may require for the purposes of the Evicted Tenants Act, and the relief of congestion on estates the subject of proceedings for sale before them. The Commissioners cannot identify the farms alluded to in the question from the particulars given by the hon. Member.