asked the Minister for Lands if he will state in respect of North Kerry the number of acres on offer for afforestation purposes and the number of acres accepted, and if he proposes to examine any other estates.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Kerry Forestry Land Offers.
Acquisition statistics kept by the Forestry Division are on a county basis and I regret, therefore, that I am unable to supply figures for part of County Kerry as requested by the Deputy.
The position for the county as a whole is that there are 209 areas totalling 26,452 acres on offer to my Department for afforestation purposes. Of these, 20 offers totalling 1,967 acres have been accepted and the legal formalities are in course of completion. Negotiations are in progress for the purchase of 20 other areas totalling 2,453 acres and the remaining 169 offers totalling 22,012 acres are being investigated.
asked the Minister for Lands whether he is aware that in most cases land owners in North Kerry are being offered only £3 to £4 an acre for land for afforestation purposes, and that they are not satisfied with this price; and, if so, if he will consider increasing the price.
The price that can be paid for any land offered to the Forestry Division must be determined by reference to the value of the land for forestry purposes. This standard is applied in all cases and I cannot see how it could be changed.