asked the Minister for Lands the number of ex-employees of (a) the Shanbally Estate and (b) the Charteris Estate, County Tipperary, who applied for compensation by way of land or money for their loss of employment; and if he will state in each case the date when application was made; whether compensation has been granted, if so, what compensation; and if not, when it is expected that a decision will be reached in regard to it.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Employees of County Tipperary Estates.
18.
The general position is that the circumstances of all displaced employees on lands taken over by the Land Commission for division are automatically considered by the Commissioners irrespective of whether or not individual applications for compensation are received from them. This practice was followed in dealing with the two Estates mentioned and it would be misleading if I were to confine my reply to cases in which formal applications were made.
Of 16 claimants on Shanbally Estate:
(i) One was alloted a fully-equipped holding of 38½ acres with existing dwellinghouse and new out-office;
(ii) two were approved for accommodation land with existing buildings, of whom one was awarded a grant of £650 for reconditioning of buildings; this person accepted but the other refused his allotment and his case is still under consideration;
(iii) seven received gratuities ranging from £22 to £300 under Section 29 of the Land Act 1950: in addition two of these were allotted accommodation land and existing buildings of whom one received a grant of £770 towards repair of buildings. The remaining six persons did not qualify for compensation.
Of 38 claimants on the Charteris Estate, 10 received gratuities ranging from £40 to £100 under Section 29 of the Land Act, 1950. The remaining 28 did not qualify for gratuities but one of them was allotted accommodation land with existing buildings. Many of the parties concerned were not full time employees on the portion of the estate acquired by the Land Commission or had ceased to be employed before acquisition. The claims of some of these will be further considered in connection with the disposal of lands on hands on this Estate.