asked the Minister for Lands and Fisheries whether he can state what progress has been made with the purchase of the Stewart-Bam (Ards) and Adair (Glenveagh) estates; whether provision is being made to meet the claims of representatives of evicted tenants, farm labourers and others, and for general improvement and development.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - PURCHASE OF DONEGAL ESTATES.
The prescribed schedules and maps have been lodged by the owners for the tenanted portion of the Stewart-Bam estate, which comprises over 500 holdings, and it is expected that at an early date the preliminary checking in the office will be completed and the lands will then be surveyed preparatory to the gazetting of the provisional list of the lands to be vested under the Land Act, 1923. An offer has been made to the owner for the purchase of Ards demesne and other untenanted lands on the estate, and the negotiations are at an advanced stage, but are not yet completed.
As regards the Adair estate, portion of the tenanted lands had to be resurveyed and a substituted provisional list was gazetted on the 28th ultimo of the tenanted lands to be vested. The manner in which the untenanted lands on this estate should be dealt with is under consideration, and the circumstances of the parties referred to in the Deputy's question will be fully considered.