asked the Minister for Lands and Fisheries whether he will state what was the total amount of arrears of annuities and of interest in lieu of rent due to the Land Commission on 31st December, 1928; what was the total number of holdings on which such arrears were due, and what was the area covered by these holdings.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Arrears of Annuities.
The arrears outstanding in respect of Land Purchase Annuities at the 31st January, 1929, the last date to which accounts have been made up, amounted to £559,251. The other particulars asked for in the Deputy's question are not available.
They are not available.
I assume that the Deputy means "payments in lieu of rent" instead of "interest in lieu of rent?"
Yes.
The accounts are being balanced and the information will be available in about a fortnight.
The Parliamentary Secretary did not answer the latter part of my question in regard to the total number of holdings on which such arrears were due and the area covered by these holdings.
The area of the holdings liable for rent charges is not recorded in the collection books of the Land Commission. The information is not acquired for official purposes, and its compilation would involve a good deal of time and trouble. It would mean going through the books and extracting the information. As the Deputy is aware, the situation varies from day to day in regard to these annuities.