Mr. COSGRAVEasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can state when the Congested Districts Board will be in a position to enter into possession of the estate of the Marquess of Clanricarde, in the county of Galway; and when they hope to be able to distribute the grazing farms amongst the tenants of uneconomic holdings or to let the lands to trustees on behalf of the tenants temporarily pending the permanent settlement?
§ Mr. BIRRELLI understand that it is expected that the purchase prices fixed by the Judicial Commissioner for the Clanricarde estates will be paid to the credit of the estates in the next few days, and the Congested Districts Board will be in a position to enter into possession of the untenanted lands as soon as payment has been made. Most of the grazing farms on the estates are, however, held under tenancies of varying duration, and a considerable time may therefore elapse before the Board obtain possession of these. The work of distribution will be proceeded with as rapidly as circumstances permit, and, pending the allocation of the lands, the Board propose to manage them themselves in accordance with their ordinary procedure.