asked the Minister for Agriculture whether his attention has been directed to a statement in a leading article in a morning newspaper stating that land rehabilitated under the land rehabilitation project has cost £500 per acre, and if he will state how many acres have cost this amount and in what circumstances.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Cost of Rehabilitated Land
I have seen the statement referred to in the first part of the question. The paper was in error in giving a figure of £500. The highest figure was £100 per acre.
Can the Minister say in what circumstances would it cost £100 per acre?
£100 per acre is a fair and decent price.
In what circumstances?
The best land in the country only costs £50 per acre. You want it to cost more.
Mr. O'Higgins
Is it a fact that the Irish Press, the Minister's tied paper, was out to make political capital on wrong facts?
I have stated it to be a fact that the highest figure is £100 for the reclamation of land, and that the best land in the country would not make £50 per acre.
Would the Minister agree with me if I said that there was a clear direction from the Fianna Fáil Government to the director of the land reclamation scheme to ease off and drop land reclamation?
The Minister is merely stating a fact.
Was it to be taken by the Land Commission that they were to ease off on land reclamation?
There was three times as much work done on land reclamation this year as there was last year, as one would expect from an administration such as ours.