asked the Minister for Lands if he will state how many estates purchased by the Congested Districts Board, or by the Land Commission, are still undivided in Éire; what area this represents; how many holdings are affected; when he proposes to complete dividing these estates; how many estates still remain in the congested districts counties from which a certain number of tenants have been migrated and their former holdings let to other individuals; and, as such migrations followed by such lettings are of no benefit whatever to the country, if he will take immediate steps to terminate such lettings and rearrange the holdings on such estates amongst the tenants who remained behind.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Undivided Estates.
Mr. Boland
The wording of the Deputy's question is somewhat confusing, as he uses the word "dividing" where presumably he means "reselling". I take it that he desires to know how many estates (and the number of holdings and the area therein) are still awaiting resale to the tenants. The number of such estates is not readily available, as in order to obtain it investigation would have to be made into what estates have been partly resold, and there is a number of small residues of estates difficult to dispose of. As regards holdings awaiting resale, there are on Congested Districts Board estates approximately 15,000 holdings comprising a total area of about 400,000 acres; and on estates of tenanted land purchased by the Land Commission under the Land Acts 1923-39 there are approximately 74,000 holdings, comprising an area of about 2,000,000 acres. The resale of these holdings has been greatly hindered by the emergency conditions of the past five years, but with the return of the Land Commission staff lent to other Departments, the work of resale will be taken up with vigour.
The information requested in the second part of the question is not readily available, as it would involve considerable research to follow up the history of each holding vacated by migrants from the congested districts, and I am not prepared to divert staff from their normal duties for this purpose. I am fully aware of the desirebility of expediting the rearrangement of holdings on congested estates, but this is work of exceptional difficulty and will necessarily take time. Not the least of the difficulties is the reluctance of tenants of rundale holdings to agree to the proposals for rearrangement put forward by the Land Commission. A number of well-devised schemes have been thereby held up.
There is one thing apparent, that there are 8,000 or 9,000 holdings in the hands of the Land Commission.