asked the Chief Secretary if he will say what is the total amount of money advanced for land purchase in Ireland under the Irish Land Acts prior to 1st November, 1903; what is the total amount of money applied for and advanced, and arranged to be advanced, under The Irish Land Act, 1903, from the 1st day of November, 1903, to the 31st day of March, 1910; what is the total acreage held under the said Land Acts; what is the total amount of money applied for and advanced, and arranged to be advanced, under the Irish Land Act, 1909; what is the total amount of money advanced under the Labourers (Ireland) Acts, 1883 to 1906; and what is the total indebtedness of Ireland under these various Acts?

Amount Advanced:—

Under Land Acts, 1870 to 1896	£23,893,635
Under Irish Land Act, 1903 (to 31st March, 1910)	£35,323,644
Area held under above Acts in acres	5,835,576
Estimated purchase money in respect of 4,781,786 acres pending for sale under the Act of 1903, but not vested, on 31st March, 1910	£52,144,723
Amount advanced under Irish Land Act, 1909, to 31st March, 1910	£155,909
Estimated purchase money of lands pending for sale under Act of 1909, but not vested, on 31st March, 1910	£3,500,000

The amount advanced under Sec. 16 (1) of the Labourers (Ireland) Act, 1906, to 31st March, 1910, was £2,201,340, and in addition there was then outstanding some £2,762,202 in respect of advances for the purposes of the Labourers Acts from Local Loan Funds through the medium of the Board of Works. The total advances for land purchase to 31st March, 1910, under the Acts 1870 to 1909, amounted to £59,373,188. This amount is, however, not at present outstanding in full having regard to the repayments to the Sinking Fund since the advances were originally made.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether an application for reinstatement as an evicted tenant was received from John Gorman, of Ruskey, Convoy, county Donegal, in November, 1903; whether he was ever given to understand by any of the inspectors to the Commissioners that his application was being favourably entertained; and what steps are at present being taken to provide him with a farm?

An application was received from John Gorman for re-instatement in a holding on the Campbell and Gledstane Estate, county Donegal, formerly occupied by him. The present occupant has purchased the holding under the Land Purchase Acts, and the Estates Commissioners have noted Gorman's name for consideration in the allotment of any untenanted land which may be acquired by them.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Estates Commissioners were at any time in negotiation with the landlord, Mrs. Boyton, or the tenants for the sale of the townlands of Stralongford and Trentabuoy, in the parish of Convoy, county Donegal; whether these lands were inspected, and, if so, what was the result of the inspection; and whether the Congested Districts Board have at present under consideration the sale of these lands?

Proceedings for the sale of the Boyton Estate at Convoy direct from the owner to the tenants are pending before the Estates Commissioners under the Irish Land Act, 1903. The estate has been inspected and the inspector's report will be considered when the estate is reached in order of priority. The estate has not been offered to the Congested Districts Board for purchase, but they communicated with the agent some time ago with a view to purchase, but no definite reply has been received.

asked the Chief Secretary if he can state, approximately, what proportion of the land of Ireland has been inspected and passed by the Estates Commissioners for the purpose of land purchase?

I would refer the Noble Lord to my reply to a similar question asked by him on the 15th instant.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the estate of W. R. L. Marshall, Milltown, county Kerry, was vested in the Estates Commissioners in July, 1909, when the purchase money was paid to the vendor; whether, since then, the Commissioners have required the tenants to pay at the rate of 3½ per cent. on the purchase price on the three gales since due; whether the tenants will be refunded the amount they have overpaid, being the difference between 2¾ per cent. and 3½ per cent. on the purchase money and vesting order to begin from the next gale day, or whether they will be refunded the difference between 3¼ per cent. and 3½ per cent. and their vesting order dated from the time of paying the purchase price to the vendor?

The Estates Commissioners inform me that the estate referred to was vested in the Land Commission on 10th June, 1909, and the purchase money was paid on 29th July, 1909. Section 18 of the Irish Land Act, 1903, provides that the interest payable by the tenants under Section 35 of the Land Law (Ireland) Act, 1896, shall be at the rate of 3½ per cent. This interest is payable by each purchaser up to the date of the order vesting his holding in him, and as the holdings on this estate have not yet been vested in the tenants owing to their delay in executing the necessary deed arranging for the maintenance of an embankment on the estate, the tenants are still liable for the payment of interest at 3½ per cent. The Commissioners have no power to refund any of this interest.

asked the Chief Secretary if he will ascertain who is the proprietor of the waste farm known as Doonflynn Lower, near Skreen, county Sligo; how the said farm is at present occupied, and by whom; and on what condition of tenancy, or otherwise?

The Congested Districts Board understand that Dr. F. G. Fenton is the owner of the farm referred to, but the Board have no information as to how the farm is occupied, or as to the terms of the tenancy (if any).

asked the Chief Secretary what is the cause of delay in reinstating an evicted tenant named Cornelius Donovan on the Pyne O'Callaghan Estate, near Kanturk, arrangements between Donovan and the Estates Commissioners as to terms of purchase, future rent, etc., having been agreed on twelve months since, and the farm from which he was evicted being now derelict?

The Estates Commissioners inform me that they have been in negotiation with the owner of the estate referred to, and have had the lands inspected. He is willing to sell the lands at their estimated price, and has instituted formal proceedings for the sale of the lands to the Commissioners. The Commissioners will issue their formal offer when the requirements as to title are satisfied.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Estates Commissioners have acquired the lands on the Foot estate, at Blossomfort, Ballyclogh, county Cork; and, if so, whether they will be available for distribution amongst uneconomic holders and deserving labourers?

The reply to the first part of the question is in the negative. The Estates Commissioners propose to have a preliminary inspection made of the lands referred to at any early date.

asked the Home Secretary with regard to 505 alien immigrants admitted to this country in 1906 on the ground that they were political or religious refugees, with regard to 43 such immigrants admitted in 1907, to 20 admitted in 1908, to 30 admitted in 1909, and to 5 admitted in 1910, how many of these immigrants proved that they were seeking admission to this country solely to avoid prosecution or punishment on religious or political grounds, or for an offence of a political character or persecution involving danger of imprisonment or danger to life and limb on account of religious belief, in accordance with the requirements of The Aliens Act, 1905; and how many were admitted under the instruction from the Secretary of State to immigration officers, dated 9th March, 1906, relieving such immigrants from the necessity of proving that they are political or religious refugees as contemplated by the Act?

The instruction referred to was to the effect that alien immigrants claiming in certain circumstances to come within the provisions of the Act in regard to political or religious refugees should be given the benefit of the doubt. No records have been, or could be, kept differentiating between cases where the immigrant produced evidence in support of his claim which might be taken as positive proof, and cases where his representations, falling short of complete proof, nevertheless enabled the immigration officer or board to give him the benefit of the doubt.

asked the Home Secretary what was the number of men employed in the slate quarries and slate mines of North Wales during each of the last twenty years?

The figures for 1910 are not yet available. The figures for the twenty years, 1890 to 1909, inclusive, in respect of the slate mines of North Wales are as follows:—

1890	4,425	…	1891	3,938
1892	4,043	…	1893	4,405
1894	4,585	…	1895	4,862
1896	5,369	…	1897	5,505
1898	5,890	…	1899	5,598
1900	5,041	…	1901	4,695
1902	4,920	…	1903	5,213
1904	5,168	…	1905	4,647
1906	4,001	…	1907	3,539
1908	3,301	…	1909	3,116

The statistics for quarries only begin in 1895, but the figures for the fifteen years, 1895 to 1909, in respect of the slate quarries of North Wales are as follows:—

1895	9,953	…	1896	10,116
1897	8,989	…	1898	10,876
1899	10,390	…	1900	9,477
1901	8,133	…	1902	8,639
1903	9,138	…	1904	9,326
1905	8,947	…	1906	8,734
1907	8,311	…	1908	8,056
1909	7,813	…	—

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether the physicians and surgeons of all the Government civil hospitals in Madras are military doctors; whether the senior assistant surgeons in these institutions are military assistant surgeons belonging to the subordinate military medical service; and whether, considering that the former posts are usually held by people of the country and the latter always given to Eurasians, he would adopt a method of making medical appointments which involves no race distinctions?

If the hon. Member will be good enough to refer to the answers to questions on this subject given by me and my predecessors to him and his friends during this and the last two Parliaments, I think he will find that all the information for which he asks is already at his disposal.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether the attention of the Secretary of State has been drawn to the resolution passed at the meeting of the Indian National Congress, held at Allahabad on the 28th December, 1910, thanking him for his despatch regarding the employment in the superior posts of the civil medical service and requesting the Government of India to take early action in the direction indicated by the Secretary of State for India, and pointing out that in the interests of the public, the medical service, and the profession, as well as in the interests of economy in public expenditure, it was highly desirable that a distinct Indian civil medical service should be constituted, wholly independent of the Indian military medical service; whether he has yet received from the Government of India any report on the various issues concerning the various medical services of India therein referred to; and when does he propose to bring the higher grades of the medical service within reasonably easy access of Indian doctors?

The resolution to which the hon. Member refers has not yet reached the Secretary of State. A despatch on the general question has been received from the Government of India, and is under consideration. As regards the final sentence of the hon. Member's question I have nothing to add to the information that I have already given him.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will now lay upon the Table further Papers on the affairs of Persia; and whether he will see that the Papers laid come down to 31st December, 1910?

It would not be desirable to lay Papers till the question of the southern roads is settled, but I will consider the question of laying Papers as soon as there is a favourable opportunity.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will explain the exact legal status of English companies in Egypt, particularly in regard to recent judgments given by the mixed courts?

The question appears to involve legal considerations or points of law on which it is not for the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to give an opinion.

asked the President of the Local Government Board what deputations with regard to the Mid-wives Bill will be received; and by whom, and in which House the Bill will be introduced?

I have agreed to receive a deputation from the Municipal Corporations Association on the Clause numbered 17 in last year's Bill. The arrangements as to the introduction of a Bill in the present Session are under consideration.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can state what change was brought about in the duty on cream by the Payne Tariff; and what has been the effect of any change in Canadian exports to the United States and upon the price of butter in the United States and in Canada?

The Payne Tariff came into force in the United States of America in August, 1909, and under it the import duty on cream was reduced from 2 cents per pound to 5 cents per gallon, equivalent to about one-fourth of the former rate. Since the date mentioned an important trade in cream from Canada to the States has developed, but I am not in a position to form any opinion as to the effect, if any, which this has had upon the prices of butter in Canada or the United States.