§ Mr. O'DONNELLasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland what steps are being taken to have the Hickson estate, Teer, Brandon, county Kerry, taken over by the Congested Districts Board; and whether this is a very poor highly-rented estate with holdings and houses badly in need of improvement?
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§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Congested Districts Board have purchased the estate of Mr. G. A. E. Hickson in the townlands of Garrywilliam and Fahamore, in the vicinity of Brandon, county Kerry, but the estate does not include the townland of Teer mentioned in the question. The Board have no information regarding that townland.
§ Mr. O'DOWDasked the Chief Secretary whether the non-residential grazing farm held by the late E. A. Duke, Esquire, J.P., of Ballymote, and situate in Killaraght, Boyle Union, county Sligo, has yet been sold to the Congested Districts Board; if not, can he state the cause of the delay; and if he can say whether, in the event of the sale, the herd, Hever, who is the son of an evicted tenant, will get a holding on the estate?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Congested Districts Board have made an offer for the purchase of the lands referred to which has not been accepted. The Board cannot say what action they would take with regard to the herd in the event of their purchasing this property.
§ Mr. PATRICK WHITEasked the Chief Secretary whether he can state the cause of the delay in completing the purchase of the Kerveguen estate, Virginia Road, county Meath; and whether the transaction is a request case, which usually involves little delay?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe formal proposal of the Estates Commissioners to purchase this estate has been settled, and will, it is expected, issue this week to the owners for acceptance. Sales to the Commissioners are dealt with in their order of priority in accordance with the Regulations made under Section 23 (8) of the Irish Land Act, 1903, and Section 4 of the Irish Land Act, 1909.
§ Mr. O'MALLEYasked the Chief Secretary whether the O'Flaherty estate, in Ballyconneely, near Clifden, and at Ardnasella, near Oughterard, are yet purchased by the Congested Districts Board; if not, will he say whether an offer of purchase has been made; and, if not, will he state the cause of the delay in the purchase of these properties?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Congested Districts Board have made an offer for the purchase of this estate, which has not yet been accepted.
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§ Mr. LYNCHasked the Chief Secretary whether he can state the present condition of negotiations in regard to the estate of William Henry M'Grath, Birch-field, near Lahinch, West Clare; and whether, in view of the general desire to come to terms, this matter may be expedited?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Congested Districts Board have made an offer to purchase this property, which has not been accepted, and negotiations for purchase are not at present proceeding.
Mr. KELLYasked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that the landlord and tenants of the Vaughan-Brooke estate, county Donegal, entered into agreements early in 1912 for the sale of the landlord's interests at 6s. in the £ reduction, and that the Congested Districts Board subsequently refused to allow a direct sale owing to portion of the estate being held in rundale; and will he represent to the Congested Districts Board the propriety of allowing the sale to proceed without the rundale portion being included or, in the alternative, will the Congested Districts Board retain the rundale portion in their own hands, as the landlord cannot ascertain the rights of the tenants to this portion of the estate and is willing to leave the matter to the Congested Districts Board?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe estate referred to would appear to be the Lady Stewart Bam estate, for which agreements for direct sale were entered into between the landlord and tenants. The statements in the latter part of the question are not quite correct, but as the case now stands the Congested Districts Board have expressed their willingness that the owner might sell the holdings by direct sale through the Estates Commissioners, provided that turbary be supplied for each holding on satisfactory terms.
§ Mr. FRANCIS MEEHANasked whether the Congested Districts Board have taken any steps to purchase the waste lands on the A. G. R. Johnston estate, Kinlough, county Leitrim, known as the Mount Prospect grazing ranch, for the relief of congestion in that district, as there are many uneconomic holdings much in need of relief?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe estate referred to has been offered for sale to the Congested Districts Board, and a decision will be1012W arrived at regarding purchase as soon as practicable.
§ Mr. LYNCHasked the Chief Secretary whether, in regard to the estate of Captain J. C. R. Scott, in the townland of Doonmore, West Clare, purchase agreements are lodged with the Estates Commissioners; whether, in view of the fact that, when in 1907 nine new holdings were created in respect to the reserve bog, the residential tenants were paying for turf on the reserve in question, they therefore had reason to expect that the bog would be included within the terms of their purchase; whether he can publish the report of Mr. J. J. Howard, the inspector, on this subject; and whether, when the matter is finally dealt with, the Estates Commissioners will see that full justice is done to the residential tenants in regard to turbary rights?
§ Mr. BIRRELLPurchase agreements have been lodged with the Estates Commissioners under the Land Purchase Acts in respect of certain holdings on this estate, but no agreements have been lodged in respect of the nine holdings created in 1907. The owner has by deed conveyed to trustees for the benefit of the residential tenants the bog in his own possession, together with the rights of cutting turf over the holdings in question. Having created tenancies in the said nine holdings, the owner had no power to include in the bog conveyed to the trustees the bog on such holdings, but only the right to cut turf thereon, which right he had reserved to himself when the tenancies were created. It would be contrary to the established practice of the Commissioners to publish reports of their inspectors, which are confidential documents.