asked the Minister for Lands what is the present policy in the selection of allottees with regard to addition of land when the Land Commission is allotting an estate, particularly in so far as distance from the parent holding is concerned.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Allotment of Lands.
35.
In accordance with Article 45.2.v. of the Constitution, the aim of policy is to secure the establishment on the land available of the maximum number of families in economic security.
As regards distance between parent holding and additional land, the policy is that, save in exceptional circumstances, an enlargement may not be more than a statute mile from the allottee's residence.
Is the statute mile provision a hard and fast rule that has never been waived by the inspector?
As I have said in reply, as regards distance between parent holding and additional land, save in exceptional circumstances, an enlargement may not be more than a statute mile from the allottee's residence. In very exceptional circumstances, very occasionally, they do not hold themselves to the rigid mile.
Could the Minister explain why it is that two young men with small holdings, one in Carn and the other in Lightford, married men, one with six children and the other with nine children, whose residences, if actually measured, would be a matter of only 40 or 50 yards over the mile, were not given additional land?
No. As the Deputy is well aware, this is a matter for the Land Commission. In this particular instance, it would appear that they confined themselves to applicants within one mile radius of the estate in question and, evidently, they interviewed 47 people within that area in order to pick out their allottees. While I do not question what the Deputy may say about applicants outside that mile limit, no doubt if they went within one and a quarter miles radius there would be other people just outside that distance who might also qualify if there were sufficient land available.
Is that a statute mile by the nearest road route or as the crow flies?
A statute mile from the perimeter of the estate concerned to the nearest point of the farm.
It could be as the crow flies?
It is by the road.
Depending on whether the crow knew her route and did not wobble on the way to wherever she was flying.
Surely the Minister has misstated the facts. Is it not true that the Land Commission insist it must be one mile by the road?
That is not so, to my knowledge.
Would the Minister investigate that with his officials because no later than two days ago I was informed it had to be inside a mile by the road?
I do not know who the Deputy's informants are. The Deputy is surely aware of cases where it may well be that an applicant's land may be a mearing portion of an estate whereas it may be two miles to get to it by the road.
In view of the fact that the Minister has stated the mile is from the perimeter of the estate to be divided to the nearest point of the holding—let me tell the Minister I remember that the Government direction was, as Deputy Tully has stated, to the effect that it was a mile by the road—the two cases I have mentioned and many others were well within the mile for purposes of the division of that estate.
I cannot accept what the Deputy says but I do know there were many applicants within the mile who did not qualify and who were not given additions of land in this instance.
If I give the Minister the names of the two people concerned, will he inquire into it in view of what he has now revealed about distance?
I do not concede that there is any misunderstanding about distance or that the distance must be measured as a mile by the road because there are obviously cases where, in practice, that would not work out equitably.
The Minister will have a question on that from me next week.
Would the Minister accept that an injustice has been done in at least two cases, if not more, in respect of this estate?
The Land Commission officials examined all the applicants within the distance laid down and it was their job to decide on those they considered qualified.
The Minister cannot wash his hands of it in that way because the distance is something determined by the Minister.
Is it Irish miles or statute miles?
Statute miles. I understand the mile is longer in Waterford than Mayo.