asked the Minister for Lands if he will state what progress has been made by the Land Commission within the last 12 months towards preparing a rearrangement scheme on the Treadennick estate, County Roscommon.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Roscommon Estates.
It was not possible to make any progress last year with the preparation of a rearrangement scheme for this estate. Although the rearrangement of holdings is being expedited to the utmost, the problem is of such magnitude that it is inevitable that the work on many estates must await the disposal of the more urgent cases. The Tredennick estate will be dealt with at the earliest opportunity.
Is the Minister aware that there are approximately 435 holdings on this estate, most of them small, congested holdings and that it is essential that new houses be built for the people living in those areas? In view of the fact that they are not in a position to build those houses themselves, would he not direct the attention of the Land Commission to the urgency of dealing with this problem so that the people will at least have decent houses to live in and thus help to solve the problem of emigration from rural areas?
Can the Minister give any indication as to when we will have divided all these lands in this country of ours, or is this land division to go on for all time?
That is a rather big question. With regard to the particular matter mentioned by Deputy McQuillan, the whole question of the rearrangement of holdings in the congested districts is under active consideration and steps have been taken to expedite rearrangement. There are at least 24,000 holdings that have to be dealt with and possibly 15,000 of these will have to be rearranged. In some of the cases, as in the present one, it will require the unremitting attention of an inspector for a considerable period of time to deal even with a single estate.
asked the Minister for Lands if he will state what progress has been made by the Land Commission in connection with the acquisition of the McDermott estate, Kinitty, County Roscommon, and when it is likely that a scheme for the division of the lands will be prepared.
Proceedings were instituted in 1948 for the acquisition of this estate but an objection to acquisition was allowed.
Is the Minister aware, in connection with this estate— and I hope he will not pull me up again on Land Commission procedure —that the present owner of that farm has other holdings in County Mayo, that he is considered locally as a grazier farmer, that he gives no employment whatever in that particular area and that there is a good deal of congestion within an area of three miles of that particular farmer?