HC Deb 14 April 1915 vol 71 cc19-21W
Mr. GINNELL

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will state the amount of money applied for and the amount advanced in each of the 10 last completed financial years for financing land purchase in Ireland to all the authorities administering the Land Purchase Act?

Mr. BIRRELL

The amount of money applied for by the Land Commission for advances, and the advances made in money, under the Land Purchase Acts during each of the ten years referred to are as follows:—

Financial Year. Amount.
£
1905–6 5,516,580
1906–7 5,941,348
1907–8 5,166,904
Financial Year. Amount.
£
1908–9 6,562,551
1909–10 7,061,902
1910–11 4,630,208
1911–12 4,295,697
1912–13 4,216,628
1913–14 4,818,358
1914–15 3,603,193

These figures are exclusive of a sum of £7,031,005 paid in cash as bonus percentage to vendors of estates under the said Acts during the years in question, and of a sum of £4,411,108 advanced in cash under the Labourers Act, 1906, out of the Land Purchase Fund during the nine years ended the 31st ultimo. In addition, advances amounting to £13,536,232 were made in stock under the Land Purchase Acts during the five years ended the 31st ultimo.

Mr. GINNELL

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will state the total amount advanced for land purchase in Ireland under each of the enactments empowering such advance, with, in each case, the rate of interest, the amount of principal and of interest, respectively, repaid to 31st March, 1915, and the amount of principal outstanding at that date, showing the gross amount at each rate of interest where different rates are used under one enactment?

Mr. BIRRELL

The amounts advanced for land purchases in Ireland under the several Land Purchase Acts to 31st March last are as follows:—

Acts of 1870 £518,933
Acts of 1881 240,801
Acts of 1885–8 9,992,536
Acts of 1891–6 13,146,892
Acts of 1903–9 70,449,472
Labourers (Ireland) Act, 1906 4,411,108
£98,759,742

The particulars asked for in the concluding part of the question, in so far as they are available, are given in the published Annual Reports and Accounts of the Land and Estates Commissioners and the National Debt Commissioners, and cover the period up to the 31st March, 1911. The detailed particulars for the year ending 31st March last cannot yet be given.

Mr. GINNELL

asked the Chief Secretary if he will state the number of holdings purchased under the Land Purchase Acts vested in the purchasers, and the number of parcels of land vested, in each of the ten last completed financial years in each county and in the whole of Ireland by all the authorities administering the Land Purchase Acts?

Mr. BIRRELL

The number of holdings and parcels of land vested in purchasing tenants tinder the Land Purchase Acts, including holdings vested on re-sale of estates purchased by the Estates Commissioners and Congested Districts Board, during the last ten financial years are the following:—

Year ended 31st March. Number Vested.
1906 12,678
1907 13,355
1908 13,558
1909 16,811
1910 15,986
1911 22,905
1912 24,169
1913 23,975
1914 16,956
1915 10,948

The figures for each county are given in the Annual Reports of the Land and Estates Commissioners, but the detailed figures for each county for the financial year ended 31st ultimo have not yet been segregated.

Mr. GINNELL

asked the Chief Secretary if he will state the year in which the purchase agreements were signed in the case of the latest estate dealt with this year by advance of price and vesting of holdings in each of the three categories into which the Estates Commissioners have divided for purposes of priority estates before them for sale?

Mr. BIRRELL

The years are 1907 in the case of estates on the Principal Register of Direct Sales (all cash), and 1908 in respect of cases on the Subsidiary Registers (part money, part stock) and (all stock).