(Cavan) asked the Minister for Lands if he will exercise the powers conferred on him by section 4 of the Land Act, 1965, to declare County Cavan a congested area for the purposes of that Act.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Cavan as Congested Area.
30.
Pending the progressive application of the Land Act, 1965, to the congested areas as scheduled in the Act, I think it would be premature to declare additional congested areas under section 4 of the Act. There has to be some priority as regards this problem and I believe that priority should be afforded to those acknowledged areas where congestion has for so long been so pronounced.
(Cavan): Having regard to the fact that the Minister's colleague, the Minister for Social Welfare, has declared Cavan a congested area for the purposes of the Social Welfare Act just introduced, would the Minister not consider that sufficient evidence to warrant his declaring the county congested for the purposes of section 4 of the Land Act?
What has been done by the Minister for Social Welfare has been done for a different purpose. In view of the allegations made by the Deputy and his colleagues in the last election as to the disastrous effects the Land Act would have, I am surprised that he is now asking for it to be applied to his own county.
One section.
(Cavan): Is the Minister not aware that this Deputy and the other Deputies made it perfectly clear that they considered some sections good and other sections disastrous? Is the Minister further aware that I am asking for a good section to be applied to Cavan?
Section 27 applies all over the country.
This is the first time we heard there were any good sections.
That is untrue.
It is on the record of the Seanad as well as of this House.
(Cavan): Does the Minister deny that I said on several occasions in Seanad Éireann in the Minister's own hearing that there were several good sections and we approved of those sections——
Certainly.
(Cavan): —— but we deplored section 27 and the other dictatorial sections.
The Minister heard it perfectly well.
No sooner had the Deputy made one statement than he was promptly contradicted by one of his colleagues.
The battering ram sections apply all over.
What did the Deputy say?
The battering ram and the grabber sections apply all over.
The Deputy is engaged in a very big battering ram operation with British capital in County Galway. He had better watch out.