asked the Minister for Lands if he is aware that serious congestion exists in the townlands of Carrownteeaun and Altbaun (Leonard Stronge estate), County Mayo; that the majority of the holdings in these two townlands are about £5 P.L.V., and that the Land Commission has intimated that it is not proposed to take any action in regard to this congestion; and, if so, if he will take steps, if necessary by the introduction of proposals for legislation, to have these and similarly situated areas even though vested brought up to economic level.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Mayo Congested Areas.
The holdings in Carrownteeaun and many of the holdings in Altbaun were enlarged as far as practicable before being vested in the tenant purchasers. Proposals for the enlargement of the remaining unvested holdings in Altbaun will be prepared in due course but otherwise there is no immediate prospect of any lands becoming available for distribution in the area.
It is not necessary to introduce new legislation for the purpose mentioned by the Deputy. The Land Commission are making serious efforts to relieve congestion and effect rearrangement on those estates which still remain unsold and I do not feel that they should interrupt this work to reexamine cases which have already been dealt with.
I am not suggesting that the Land Commission should give up the work of rearranging the estates that remain unsold at the present day. My question is whether the Minister stands over a system that has grown up in the Land Commission whereby, once a particular townland or estate was vested in the tenants—no matter what the valuations or the size of the holdings were—the estate was considered settled finally, once and for all. This is the third reply which I have received from the Minister to-day which indicates that the Land Commission are definitely seeking to shelve their responsibility. I ask the Minister not to stand over that type of thing.
The Deputy is making statements all the time. He is not seeking information.
I would ask the Minister not to allow the Land Commission to do that.
The Deputy is not asking a question and is not seeking information.
A request.
Will the Minister or will he not give instructions to the Land Commission to discontinue that practice and, even though estates are vested, to rearrange or enlarge them?
The staff of the Land Commission can only deal with a certain number of holdings. The Deputy seems to suggest that the holdings that have not been dealt with—the tenants of which have received no improvement as a result of Land Commission operations—should now be put aside and that the work which, after careful consideration, has been undertaken should be deferred to deal with isolated cases. I do not suggest that all the cases have not merits and if there were sufficient land and sufficient staff to deal with them, I suppose they could all be dealt with eventually. I see no possibility of dealing with more than a fraction of the cases that have not already been touched to the satisfaction of any reasonable person. Why, then, should we set aside our programme to take up these cases? The Carrownteeaun case, for example, was dealt with as far back as 1902 or 1904 by the Congested Districts Board.
What are the valuations there?
I am not going into the question of valuations——
I am.
The valuations generally in Connacht are certainly well below what those of reasonable holdings should be.
We are painfully aware of that.
But the Deputy's blathering will not improve the situation a bit. The holdings in Connacht have been improved considerably over a generation or two as a result of the Land Commission.
Is it in order for a Minister to describe a Deputy's supplementary question as "blathering"? May we all use the word?
Question 25.
Will the Ceann Comhairle permit me to put one more supplementary question to the Minister?
Question 25.
Does the Minister stand over the vesting of holdings of a valuation of £5 and does he consider the matter then finally settled?
It will take another 100 years.