asked the Minister for Lands and Fisheries if he will state in how many cases proceedings were instituted against Land Commission defaulters for non-payment of annuities and rents during the period from the 15th July, 1932, to the 1st January, 1933, and what was the amount of money involved and the costs.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Land Commission Defaulters.
As the Deputy is aware proceedings for the recovery of arrears of land purchase annuity and other annual payments are taken by State solicitors. The Land Commission have no information as regards the dates on which such proceedings are initiated nor have they any information as regards the costs of proceedings where such costs have been paid to State solicitors with the principal debt.
Does the Minister mean to say that he has no information with regard to the costs incurred in connection with these cases in which decrees were actually obtained? Surely the Minister would have that information in the Land Commission? The Minister has stated that arrangements have already been made in the Land Commission for the purpose of carrying out the funding proposals under Part III of the Bill. How could the Land Commission officials have the data necessary for the funding operations in the absence of the information asked for in this question?
They are only working on the data they have at the moment.
They cannot work this funding arrangement in the absence of the details I have asked for.
There is plenty of other work to do besides that.
Are we then to assume from this that the statement made by the Minister on the Land Bill was wrong?
In the face of the Minister's answer, is he prepared to delete from the Land Bill——
We are now not going into that.