asked the Minister for Lands what procedure is adopted by the Land Commission for the renting of the game rights of lands in their possession in County Meath.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Renting of Meath Game Rights.
34.
The position generally—in County Meath, as elsewhere —is that for shooting rights of some value over lands on hands of the Land Commission, tenders for letting are invited by way of advertisement either in the booklet published each year by my Department or, if late for inclusion therein, in the public Press. Where an individual inquiry is received in relation to shooting rights which appear to be of little value, a seasonal letting may be made without advertisement. In such cases, however, the rights, if still undisposed of, are included in the booklet for the succeeding year.
Would the Minister agree that this practice of the Land Commission letting the shooting rights of these lands is hampering the efforts of the Game Council in the preservation of game?
I would not agree that was necessarily the case. There is co-operation between the Game Council and the Minister for Lands who is in charge of game and I am sure he would be quite willing to exercise any reasonable influence.
Are the Game Council notified of these lettings?
Apparently in this case the letting came up for notice after the booklet had been published. There is no difference between the Game Council and an individual in this regard. Occasionally these lettings are made subsequent to the auctioning of land and then they are put in the booklet next year.