asked the Minister for Agriculture whether he will state the number of owners of holdings in each of the Counties Meath and Westmeath who failed in (a) the year 1940, and (b) the year 1941 to till the prescribed percentage of their holdings and the action taken in regard to their non-compliance with the provisions of the respective tillage orders.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Non-Compliance With Tillage Order.
The number of occupiers in County Meath who were found to have failed to comply fully with the requirements of the Tillage Order in operation in 1940 was 415, and the number in County Westmeath was 291. Occupiers who, at the time of inspection, had not complied with the order were warned of the consequences of non-compliance, with the result that in many cases, though there was not full compliance, an increase in the area under cultivation was obtained. Prosecution was resorted to in 23 cases in County Meath and 18 cases in County Westmeath, in which I was satisfied no reasonable effort towards compliance with the order's requirements had been made, and in which there were apparently no extenuating circumstances.
In 1941, although the area required to be tilled was greater than in 1940, the number of cases of default was reduced to 260 in County Meath and 161 in County Westmeath. Action by way of entry on the lands has been taken in respect of four holdings in County Meath and 18 holdings in County Westmeath. While at present it is not possible to say in how many of these cases legal proceedings will be taken, I intend to take a much stricter view of the obligations of land owners under the order.