asked the Minister for Lands if he will state why the Land Commission did not compensate Mr. William Coffey, Fiddane, Newport, County Tipperary, for his farm of 59 acres which has been taken over by the Land Commission and divided amongst a few allottees in view of the fact that the market value of the holding is at least £1,000 and was only £188 15s. in arrear to the Land Commission, that Mr. Coffey, who is an Old I.R.A. man, applied for an allotment on the holding but was refused and that he and his wife and young family are now without any means of living.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Compensation for Landowner.
William Coffey resides with his wife and family on a holding of 26½ acres and the Land Commission have no proceedings in respect of these lands. They obtained possession of a holding of Jane Coffey, deceased, five miles away at Doonane, and William Coffey applied for an allotment on it. The Land Commission, at their discretion, did not grant his application and I assume that the fact that he resides five miles from the lands was taken into consideration by the Land Commission when arriving at their decision.
Is the Minister aware that this man was the rated occupier of this land at Fiddane?
He may have been the rated occupier, and I understand he was enjoying the profit of this land. If my memory is correct, over £188 of arrears of annuities had accrued and nobody was paying—that is, in respect of Jane Coffey's holding.
Is the Minister aware that Mr. Coffey made application to the Land Commission for a sub-division of this holding to enable him to sell at least 28 acres to pay the arrears on the remaining portion, and will he say why the Land Commission will not agree to that proposal?
I am not aware that he applied for sub-division of a holding and, secondly he, not being the owner, had no authority to apply for sub-division.