asked the Minister for Lands if he will state what amount of land is at present in the hands of the Land Commission in County Clare; how much of the land it is proposed to have tilled and how much set in grass; what are the names of the holdings in the possession of the Land Commission in County Clare and where are they situated; and what holdings the Land Commission proposes to divide during 1944 in County Clare.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Land Commission Holdings in Clare.
As the area of lands in the hands of the Land Commission may vary from day to day according as land division proceeds, it is not practicable to keep precise current statistics under this head. The detailed information requested by the Deputy is not available without the institution of a special inquiry, involving the diversion of the present depleted staff of the Land Commission from their normal work and I am not prepared to direct such a diversion in present circumstances. I can state, however, that the area acquired under the Land Acts, 1923/39, in County Clare which is now in hands represents something like 4,400 acres (including a large area of turbary and mountain) on some 36 estates—of which area as much as possible of the arable land which is not yet ready for division will be let for tillage or grazing during the present session. It is not yet possible to state what lands can be divided during the current year. A considerable portion of the land on hands was acquired only recently.