asked the Minister for Lands and Fisheries whether he will supply the following particulars (1) the amount of land at present held by Mr. Harry Burns in County Galway; (2) the amount held by him in other counties, and (3) the number of acres taken over by the Land Commission from him in the different years from 1921 to 1930.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Co. Galway Estate.
Mr. Burns is the owner of 411 acres of lands purchased under the Land Purchase Acts in County Galway, and he holds 1,627 acres of land as a tenant on the Pollock Estate in County Galway. The Land Commission have no information of any other lands held by Mr. Burns, either in County Galway or in other counties, and they have not taken over any lands from him in the years stated.
I understand that Mr. Burns is paying about £1,900 in rates to the Galway County Council. I have been informed that since 1921 no land has been taken from him. I know that the Parliamentary Secretary told me in this House about a year ago that the Land Commission were taking over his farm. They had done nothing at all in it yet. They have, as a matter of fact, fixed him up in it and left it to him.
Negotiations are in progress at the moment with a view to the acquisition of certain lands from Mr. Burns.
In this case negotiations have been in progress for five years. Will the Parliamentary Secretary tell us how many more years are these negotiations to continue?