asked the Minister for Agriculture whether, as stated by the Minister for External Affairs (Volume 131, column 665, Dáil Debates), land which after rehabilitation would not produce enough to feed a snipe has been rehabilitated under the land rehabilitation project in County Louth at a cost of from £50 to £60 per acre; and, if so, how many such acres.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Land Rehabilitation.
Mr. Walsh
I cannot identify without further particulars from the Deputy where land such as that to which he refers is situate and I am, therefore, unable to answer the question.
Can the Minister say has any land been reclaimed in the County Louth which, after rehabilitation, would not produce enough to feed a snipe but which cost £50 to £60 per acre to rehabilitate?
It cost £53 7s. 8d.
Has it?
Mr. Walsh
I could not tell the Deputy what a snipe feeds on. Let him put down a question.
Would the Minister consider——
Now the Minister for Agriculture's job is being taken over.
Would the Minister for Agriculture convey to Deputy Dillon a challenge——
This procedure, to say the least of it, is most unusual.
——to come to Louth and I will show him land that was reclaimed at a cost of £700 to the taxpayers at £53 7s. 8d. an acre, and many acres of it would not feed a snipe.
The Minister for Agriculture should get up and answer the Minister for External Affairs. Surely, if the Minister for External Affairs asks a supplementary question of his own colleague, the Minister for Agriculture ought to answer the Minister for External Affairs.
Mr. Walsh
I have nothing to add.
Would the Minister for External Affairs raise this matter on the Adjournment, snipe and all?
Come to Louth and I will show you what the taxpayers' money was spent on.
asked the Minister for Agriculture whether, as stated by the Minister for External Affairs (Volume 131, column 665, Dáil Debates), that the land rehabilitation project is useless or worse than useless; and, if so, whether he proposes to terminate it.
Mr. Walsh
I would refer the Deputy to the reply given to a question from him on the 7th May regarding the operation of the land project and to remarks made by me on many occasions when I visited county committees of agriculture.
Do I gather that the Minister for Agriculture means that he thinks the Minister for External Affairs is a damned fool, but does not care to say so? I want to know does he mean that the Minister for External Affairs is wrong in saying that the land rehabilitation project is useless? Does he mean to say that he has no intention of acting on the assumption that the Minister for External Affairs is nothing else but the silly creature that he, in fact, is?
Mr. Walsh
I have already referred the Deputy to my answer of 7th May.
Deputy Dillon had better read it and not run away from it.
Get up and ask another question.
asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state in what counties the land rehabilitation project operated during the first year of its operation.
Mr. Walsh
During the period from 1st June, 1949, to 31st May, 1950, the land project was introduced in the following counties:—Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Kilkenny, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Monaghan, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow. For many years prior to 1st June, 1949, the farm improvement scheme operated throughout the whole country. The grant provisions of that scheme were similar in part to those of that section of the land project which provides for cases where the farmer carries out the work himself with the aid of a grant. The land project, as a whole, is a further development of the farm improvements and earlier schemes.