asked the Minister for Lands whether a free grant to the amount of £75 was given to John Lavelle (Ned), Valley Dugot, Achill, County Mayo, for the purpose of reconstructing his dwelling-house; whether this grant was supplemented by a loan of £35, or whether, in fact, any loan was advanced to Mr. Lavelle; and, if so, whether he will state if an agreement providing for the repayment of such loan was signed by Mr. Lavelle, the date on which it was signed, the names of the persons who witnessed the signature, and whether a copy of the agreement was at any time supplied to Mr. Lavelle; whether he is aware that Mr. Lavelle denies having received a grant of £35 or any grant in connection with the reconstruction of his house; and whether in view of this denial he will ascertain the total sum expended on the reconstruction of Mr. Lavelle's house, and, meantime, if he will state whether he is prepared to instruct the sheriff to suspend the execution of the decree obtained against Mr. Lavelle until this investigation is carried out.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Mayo Housing Grant.
asked the Minister for Lands whether he will state the circumstances in which a decree was executed against Mr. John Lavelle (Ned), Elliott estate, Achill, Receivable Order No. U.884; whether he will indicate the circumstances in which the debt was incurred and the advances in respect of which the decree was obtained; whether he is aware that as a result of the action taken in this case Mrs. Lavelle's health has broken down, necessitating her removal to hospital, and whether it is the intention to evict this family from their homestead.
Mr. Boland
I propose to take together the Deputy's two questions relative to the case of John Lavelle (Ned). The facts are as follows:—
An undivided share of commonage on the Leslie Elliott estate, acquired by the Land Commission as untenanted land, was allotted to John Lavelle (Ned) on the 8th March, 1927, at a rent of £2, being 4¾ per cent. interest on £42, of which £7 represented the resale price of the land and £35 an advance for building purposes. To supplement this advance a free grant not to exceed the sum of £75 was also sanctioned as building assistance. Following representations from the allottees that they held grazing rights over the commonage, the price of £7 apportioned on the shares of the commonage was reduced as from the date of allotment to a nominal price of 1/-, leaving Mr. Lavelle liable for a rent of £1 13s. 4d., equivalent to interest on the advance of £35 only.
Building materials to the value of £65 1s. 10d. were supplied to Mr. Lavelle from the Land Commission store at Achill Sound in 1928, and a cash payment of £14 18s. 2d. was made to him in 1930, making a total expenditure of £80. It is the practice of the Land Commission when advances and free grants are sanctioned for buildings to expend first the advance sanctioned and afterwards the Free Grant. Mr. Lavelle has, therefore, received the equivalent of an advance of £35 and a free grant of £45.
No payment whatever in respect of interest on the advance was made by Mr. Lavelle up to 1936 and a warrant was accordingly issued and the debt then due collected.
The agreement for letting for temporary convenience originally executed, providing for the payment of a rent of £2, was signed by Mr. Lavelle in the presence of a Land Commission inspector. The agreement for letting for temporary convenience, providing for the payment of the reduced rent of £1 13s. 4d., was signed by Mr. Lavelle on the 11th March, 1935, also in the presence of a Land Commission inspector.
It is not the practice of the Land Commission unless requested to do so to supply copies of agreements to allottees.
The Land Commission have no evidence that the illness of Mrs. Lavelle was in any way due to the execution of the warrant.