asked the Minister for Lands whether the Land Commission propose to acquire the Sweeney estate, at Cloonroughan, near Castlerea, County Roscommon, at £5 7s. 0d. per acre; if he is aware that considerable uneasiness exists amongst the public as a result of a report to that effect; and, if so, whether he will inform Dáil Eireann of the precise nature of the lands to be acquired, and how they came to be valued at £5 7s. 0d. per acre.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Acquisition of County Roscommon Estate.
The Land Commission propose to acquire an area of 276 acres 2 roods 0 perches, in the townland of Cloonroughan, on the estate of Walter B. Sweeney, County Roscommon, record No. S.2526, at a price of £1,675, as fixed by the Appeal Tribunal. Of the area proposed to be acquired, about 160 acres consist of bog, cutaway and waste, and the balance varies from good agricultural land to poor meadow land.
May I suggest, in view of the Minister's reply, that there would appear to be some justification for the figure arrived at? May I also suggest that the Government Information Bureau take some steps correctly to inform the Press of such transactions so as to avoid paragraphs appearing in the Irish press to the effect that 200 odd acres of Roscommon land had been acquired by the Land Commission at approximately £6 5s. 0d. an acre as the appeal price, as such reports give rise to grave misunderstanding and cause very serious public anxiety?