§ Mr. HUGH BARRIEasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the Department of the Land Commission dealing with the work of the Estates Commissioners will be under the control of the Imperial Parliament or the Irish Parliament; whether the officers of that Department will be whole-time Imperial officers, whole-time Irish officers, or part-time Imperial and part-time Irish officers; what is the present cost of the Department; what is the number and classification of the officials employed therein; and what portion of the cost of the Department will be defrayed, respectively, by the Imperial and Irish Parliaments?
§ Mr. NEWMANasked whether the Secretariat of the Land Commission will be under the control of the Imperial Parliament or the Irish Parliament; whether the officers of that Department will be whole-time Imperial officers, whole-time Irish officers, or part-time Imperial and part-time Irish officers; what is the present cost of the Department; what is the number and classification of the officials employed therein; and what portion of the cost of the Department will be defrayed, respectively, by the Imperial and Irish Parliaments?
§ Mr. NEWMANasked whether the Department of the Land Commission dealing with fair rents will be under the control of the Imperial Parliament or the Irish Parliament; whether the officers of that Department will be whole-time Imperial officers, whole-time Irish officers, or part-time Imperial and part-time Irish officers; what is the present cost of the Department; what is the number and classification of the officials employed therein; and what portion of the cost of the Department will be defrayed, respectively, by the Imperial and Irish Parliaments?
§ Mr. NIELDasked whether the Solicitors' Department of the Land Commission will be under the control of the Imperial Parliament or the Irish Parliament; whether the officers of that Department will be whole-time Imperial Officers, whole-time Irish officers, or part-time Imperial and part-lime Irish officers; what is the present cost 20W of the Department; what is the number and classification of the officials employed therein; and what portion of the cost of the Department will be defrayed, respectively, by the Imperial and Irish Parliaments?
§ Mr. NIELDasked whether the Accountants' Department of the Land Commission will be under the control of the Imperial Parliament or the Irish Parliament; whether the officers of that Department will be whole-time Imperial officers, whole-time Irish officers, or part-time Imperial and part-time Irish officers; what is the present cost of the Department: what is the number and classification of the officials employed therein; and what portion of the cost of the Department will be defrayed, respectively, by the Imperial and Irish Parliaments?
§ Mr. NIELDasked whether the Mapping Department of the Land Commission will be under the control of the Imperial Parliament or the Irish Parliament; whether the officers of that Department will be whole-time Imperial officers, whole-time Irish officers, or part-time Imperial and part-time Irish officers; what is the present cost of the Department; what is the number and classification of the officials employed therein; and what portion of the cost of the Department will be defrayed, respectively, by the Imperial and Irish Parliaments?
§ Mr. JAMES MASONasked whether the Department of the Land Commission dealing with the distribution of the purchase money will be under the control of the Imperial Parliament or the Irish Parliament; whether the officers of that Department will be whole-time Imperial officers, whole-time Irish officers, or part-time Imperial and part-time Irish officers; what is the present cost of the Department: what is the number and classification of the officials employed therein; and what portion of the cost of the Department will be defrayed, respectively, by the Imperial and Irish Parliaments?
§ Mr. JAMES MASONasked whether the Department of the Land Commission dealing with the Irish Church Fund will be under the control of the Imperial Parliament or the Irish Parliament; whether the officers of that Department will be whole-time Imperial officers, whole-time Irish officers, or part-time Imperial and part-time Irish officers; what is the present cost of the Department; what is the 21W number and classification of the officials employed therein; and what portion of the cost of the Department will be defrayed, respectively, by the Imperial and Irish Parliaments?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe work of the Land Commission consists of three sections: (1) Land Purchase; (2) Land Law (Fair Rents, etc.), and (3) Irish Church Temporalities Fund. Under the Government of Ireland Bill the first of these is a reserved service; the second and third are Irish services. The existing staff of the Land Commission is a common staff for all the purposes mentioned, and the cost of all the sections is borne on the common Vote, subject to the proviso that the cost of the Department administering the Irish Church Fund is recouped to the Vote out of that fund as an Appropriation-in-Aid. The duties of the staff in respect of the three services mentioned overlap to some extent, and the cost of the separate services cannot, therefore, be stated with precision. There are, however, certain branches which are
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TABLE. Branches. Number of Staff. Total Expenditure (Salaries). Estimated Expenditure on Land Purchase. Land Law. Irish Church Temporalities Fund. I.—Branches Performing Duties Common to More than One Service. £ £ £ £ Land Commission Secretariat 30 5,190 3,540 1,150 500 Accountant's Branch 32 5,790 5,090 200 500 Record Branch 25 3,000 2,300 700 — Solicitor's Branch 15 4,100 3,745 — 355 II.—Branches Solely Engaged on Land Purchase Work. Registrar's Branch (Land Purchase Side) 13 3,180 3,180 — — Annuity Collection Branch 51 5,510 5,510 — — Interest in Lieu of Rent Branch 50 4,800 4,800 — — Examiner's Branch 36 17,960 17,960 — — Estates Commissioners' Secretariat 31 5,500 5,500 — — Vesting Branch 34 4,700 4,700 — — Agreements for Purchase Branch 81 8,590 8,590 — — Estates Management Branch 47 5,160 5,160 — — Survey and Mapping Branch 50 6,740 6,740 — — Inspection Branch 65 39,510 39,510 — — Sub-division of Purchased Holdings Branch 7 690 690 — — III.—Branches Solely Engaged on Land Law Work. Registrar's Branch (Fair Rent Side) 11 990 — 990 — Appeals and Listing Branch 13 1,510 — 1,510 — Fair Rent Branch (Extern Staff) 20 16,775 — 16,776 — IV.—Irish Church Department. Irish Church Department 27 4,640 — — 4,640 NOTE.—The above table does not include Messengers, Housekeepers, Office Cleaners, etc. solely occupied with a particular side of the work, and as regards the remaining branches it is possible to make an approximate estimate of the value of the work done for each separate service. A Table is therefore appended, giving, as regards all the branches of the Land Commission, particulars as to the present numbers and cost of the staff, with the estimated division of the cost as between the three services. Seeing that under the Bill these three services will become separate and distinct services, it will be necessary to arrange in due course for the separate performance by each service of certain secretarial, accounting, legal, and other work pertaining to that service, which is now performed by the common staff of the Land Commission. Such segregation of work, with the consequent assignment of staff to each service having been made, the officers of the Land Purchase service will remain Imperial officers, and the officers of the two remaining services will become Irish officers, the cost being borne accordingly.