Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 5 Apr 1960

Vol. 180 No. 12

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Leases under State Lands (Workhouses) Act.

5.

Mr. Dillon

asked the Minister for Health in respect of each financial year since 1929 what leases were made under the State Lands (Workhouses) Act, 1930; and for what period in respect of each lease.

Minister for Health (Mr. MacEntee)

The number of leases granted under the State Lands (Workhouses) Act, 1930 is considerable and a statement which would include all leases granted during a period of over thirty years would be exceedingly long.

I have, therefore, had extracted, in respect of the period since the establishment of a separate Department of Health, particulars of all leases granted by the appropriate Minister and these are incorporated in a tabular statement which, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to circulate in the official report.

Particulars of all these leases have already, as required by the Statute, been furnished to both Houses of the Oireachtas.

The Deputy will observe that in all but a small minority of cases, the lease was for a period of 99 years.

I should mention that ministerial functions under the State Lands (Workhouses) Act, 1930, which, prior to the establishment of the Department of Health, were exercised by the then Minister for Local Government and Public Health, remained with the Minister for Local Government until their transfer to the Minister for Health with effect from 27th September, 1949.

Following is the statement:

LEASES made since 22/1/47 under the State Lands (Workhouses) Act, 1930.

Date of Conveyance	Name of Workhouse	Period of Lease	Rent p.a.	User
1/3/'47	Gort	99 years	5/-	Playing fields and rural science demonstration plots.
10/4/'47	Tipperary	99,,	£30	Factory.
1/2/'48	Donegal	30,,	£2	Store
26/5/'49	Kilkenny (Old Central Hospital)	35,,	£150	General engineering works.
20/4/'50	Kilmallock	99,,	1/-	To occupy dwelling house.
18/9/'50	Kilmallock	99,,	£7 10	To erect dwelling house.
15/1/'51	Gort	99,,	£1	To erect dwelling house.
13/7/'51	Callan	99,,	£45	Dwelling house and market garden.
5/9/'51	Letterkenny	50,,	£290	Mineral water, etc., manufactory.
1/2/'52	Carrickmacross	99,,	£70	Manufacture of fruit and vegetable preserves.
1/2/'52	Gort	99,,	£12	To use premises as dwelling house.
22/2/'52	Kilrush	86,,	10/-	Site for housing (Kilrush U.D.C.).
1/3/'52	Kilrush	89,,	5/-	To erect two classrooms and store (Voc. Education Ctte.).
23/9/'52	Tipperary	99,,	£15	For use as factory premises.
19/1/'53	Rathkeale	99,,	£40	For use as factory premises.
30/5/'53	Gort	99,,	1/-	Site for midwife's residence.
28/9/'53	Kilmallock	99,,	£2 10	To erect dwelling house.
9/11/'53	Clones	99,,	£10	For factory building.
12/12/'53	Castlerea	99,,	£42	To use premises as dwelling-house.
2/2/'54	Shillelagh	99,,	1/-	For erection of church.
18/5/'54	Kilmallock	99,,	£40	To erect garage residence and other buildings.
17/12/'54	Glenties	99,,	1/-	For housing scheme (Donegal County Council).
13/9/'54	Portumna	99,,	1/-	To erect dispensary.
26/3/'55	Corofin	99,,	1/-	Premises to be used as school.
30/3/'55	Kinsale	99,,	1/-	For housing scheme (Cork County Council).
6/12/'55	Tipperary	99,,	£20	For use in connection with existing factory.
29/5/'56	Ballymahon	99,,	£100	Premises to be used as Saw-mills and Box Factory.
7/9/'56	Edenderry	21,,	£90	For accommodation of An Forsa Cosanta Áitiúil.
8/2/'57	Manorhamilton	99,,	£12	For use as Secondary School.
19/3/'57	Kilrush	89,,	5/-	For use in conjunction with Vocational Schools.
20/5/'57	Kilmallock	20,,	£2	To use land for grazing of animals.
1/10/57	Kilmallock	99,,	£50	Auction Mart.
7/10/'57	Kells	99,,	1/-	Housing Scheme (Ceannanus Mor U.D.C.).
29/11/'57	Portumna	99,,	£25	Cotton weaving factory.
24/7/'58	Dundalk	99,,	1/-	Road improvement (Dundalk U.D.C.).
1/9/'58	Portumna	99,,	£50	For use of premises for distribution of seeds and other agricultural items.
27/9/'58	Gort	99,,	10/-	Site for dwellinghouse.
26/11/'58	Ballinasloe	99,,	£15	Residence and business as builder.
25/6/'59	Carlow	10,,	£15	An Forsa Cosanta Áitiúil.
20/11/'59	Manorhamilton	99,,	£15	Secondary School playing fields

Mr. Dillon

Could the Minister conveniently tell me were these leases expressed in terms of statute or Irish acres?

Mr. MacEntee

I should require notice of that question.

Mr. Dillon

I just inquired inasmuch as perhaps the Minister has been led into some indiscretion as a result of his failure to take notice of it himself.

Mr. MacEntee

Would the Leader of the Opposition be good enough to repeat his comment?

Mr. Dillon

I said perhaps it would be well if the Minister for Health had adverted to this question so that he could have avoided being led into a certain indiscretion which, it may be inferred, arose as a result of his failure to recollect that in this country by common usage two forms of measurement are employed.

Mr. MacEntee

I am grateful to the Deputy and I shall arrange to have the descriptions corrected in the Official Report.