asked the Minister for Lands if he is aware that the Land Commission allot different rates of grants for houses and out-offices to rearranged tenants and that the lower grants are insufficient and consequently building has to be abandoned by many such tenants; and, if so, if he will request the Land Commission to make available grants sufficient to cover the cost of materials and labour in all cases of rearrangement.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Rearranged Tenants' Grants
Housing grants for tenants whose holdings are being rearranged must be related to the requirements of the particular rearrangement scheme. For example, some tenants may be vacating the sites of existing buildings and may be removing to new sites quite a distance away; in other cases, however, such complication may not arise. Variable provisions are accordingly necessary to cater for the different types of case.
The general position is at present under examination, in relation to current building costs.
Is the Minister aware that the system which the Land Commission are accustomed to operate of giving different grants to people in the same townland by virtue of the fact that the person who surrenders the hearthstone of the old home gets a larger grant than the person who does not, is causing grave discontent amongst the tenants who are being rearranged? They do not grasp the niceties that have led the Land Commission to adopt such a policy. Would the Minister consider making an Order giving an equal grant to all in the case of houses built, after rearrangement, by the tenants themselves? If the Minister would do that, I can assure him that it would speedup the work of getting agreement from the tenants in practically every single case.
I am sure that if it speeds up the work of rearrangement there will be no objection to it. It is a matter that could be inquired into.
Would the Minister agree that the giving of equal grants all round should be adopted?
The practice has been otherwise up to the present and there must have been some reason for it.
The townland that I have in mind is that of Kilvine (Irishtown) where you have one of the most congested villages in the whole of the West of Ireland. A different scale of grants has been given in that village and has caused a grave upheaval. It has almost brought a peaceful crowd of tenants to the point of bursting up the whole rearrangement scheme. Personally, I cannot see any justification for giving one person a grant of £400 to build a house in the townland and cutting down the grant to his neighbour to £280.
I take it that some of the houses were really reconstructional dwellings.
No.
If an examination of the position shows that different grants are allowed for the same kind of work then, obviously, a case for changing that system exists.
I can assure the Minister that new houses are being built in every single case.