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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 9 Mar 1955

Vol. 149 No. 2

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Uneconomic Holdings.

asked the Minister for Lands whether, in view of the fact that the holdings of many small-holders who do not qualify as congests are nevertheless not fully economic, he will introduce proposals for legislation to provide financial assistance, repayable by way of annuity, for such persons to enable them to purchase either individually or jointly lands offered for sale adjacent to their holdings, in cases where such persons are in a position to provide portion of the purchase money.

The Deputy's suggestion is one which has already occurred to me many times in considering the general problem of congestion and the measures in force for its relief. I have had this suggestion examined most carefully and sympathetically but I have been forced to the conclusion that it is not practicable for the Land Commission to undertake such a scheme.

I fully appreciate that there are many land-holders who are at or slightly above what is regarded as economic standard and who are anxious to increase the size of their holdings. I also realise that the Land Commission's standard holding is necessarily of modest size as the supply of land available for allotment is strictly limited.

There can be divergent views about the size of an economic holding but the amount of congestion still to be dealt with and the limited quantity of land available inevitably forces the Land Commission to confine themselves to the building up of small-holdings to the minimum standard which will enable a family to derive a decent livelihood from the land.

In the prevailing circumstances the primary function of the Land Commission is and must remain the relief of congestion and it is clear that those who are on the land in an uneconomic way must be regarded as having first claim on the resources of the Land Commission. The Deputy will appreciate the formidable task confronting the Land Commission in their endeavour to secure that small-holdings are brought up to the level of compact economic units. In giving these small-holdings priority the Land Commission are doing no more than concentrating their resources and staff on putting first things first. To do otherwise would only dissipate effort and retard progress all round.

For these reasons I cannot adopt the proposal in the question while the problem of congestion remains so acute.

No doubt the Deputy is aware that the Agricultural Credit Corporation make advances in certain types of cases.

The Minister states that the pool of land is limited. Does the Minister agree with the report which was recently issued by the Commission on Emigration which states that there is plenty of land available for division in the Midlands?

Yes — and all the land available in the Midlands is under investigation by the Land Commission.

Yes. What might appear to Deputies and to other people to be a large amount of land is very small in comparison with the huge amount of congestion yet to be relieved.

The minority report by Dr. Lucey states that if the amount of land available for the relief of congestion were acquired and divided, then another 40,000 to 50,000 new holdings could be established, each with a minimum of 30 acres.

I read a lot of these statements and take note of them.

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