asked the Minister for Lands if he will furnish the names and addresses of all tenants claiming grazing rights on the Hill estate, County Donegal, and state who is obstructing the afforestation of this estate.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Hill Estate, County Donegal.
This is an unusually big estate comprising approximately 13,000 acres. The full extent of the claims to turbary and grazing rights will only be ascertained as the detailed investigation of the various sections of the estate proceeds. It is possible that it may be found that there are as many as 1,000 claims involved.
The Deputy, I am sure, will appreciate the difficulties in dealing with such a big estate involving so many claims. Notwithstanding these difficulties and the fact that possession of the estate was obtained only a comparatively short time ago, I am glad to be able to say that the work of afforestation will commence on a reasonably large area fairly soon.
Is the Minister aware that the excuse that has been offered by the Department is the obstruction of the afforestation of this estate? Will he state now or at some future date the exact obstruction to which he refers, the names of the obstructionists to whom he refers, and what he considers a reasonable date in the near future for the commencement of this work?
I am not aware of any obstruction. If the Deputy is referring to those who say they have grazing rights, turbary rights or other rights there, I may say that each of these claims must be investigated and dealt with separately. I am not aware of any obstruction nor would I tolerate any obstruction.
Give us the names.
The names of the tenants? Those who say they have a claim to grazing rights, I do not regard as obstructionists. If I had a claim to anything, I would assert it.
Assert it publicly.
It is not the custom to give such information asked for in the question. We might be prejudicing some of the claimants and ourselves if we were to give the information desired, apart from the fact that there are nearly 1,000 claimants against this estate, and 1,000 names and addresses would take up a great deal of the Official Report.
Is the Minister aware that the inference in this question is that the majority of the tenants who have objected to the afforestation of this estate are exclusively Fianna Fáil? I would like to assure the Minister that that is not so.
I did not make that suggestion.
I can assure the Minister that that is not true.
I did not make that suggestion.
I would be very pleased to get all the information possible.