asked the Minister for Lands (a) the amount of land held by the Irish Land Commission for division in County Galway; (b) the number of applications for this land; (c) the proposed order of priority for division; and (d) the date in each case on which it is hoped to proceed with the division.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Galway Land Division.
62.
Replies to the various parts of the question are as follows:—
(a) Apart from substantial areas of turbary and inferior quality land, the area of arable land on hands of the Land Commission in County Galway at present is 4,900 acres approximately;
(b) it is not the practice to keep a numerical record of applications for land. Indeed, in itself, such a record might not accurately reflect the number of really qualified claimants inasmuch as all eligible persons within the prescribed distance of acquired lands— irrespective of whether they have lodged a formal application or not— are automatically considered by the Land Commission for allotments;
(c) and (d) while every effort is being made to dispose of acquired lands with the minimum delay, it is not feasible to indicate precisely the date on which any particular property will be allocated; this depends on such factors as the extent to which rearrangement and enlargement of uneconomic holdings are involved, whether improvement works are necessary before the lands can be allotted and other considerations. However, the necessary local inquiries preliminary to allotment are being pushed forward as rapidly as circumstances permit.
If the Deputy is interested in an particular estate or group of estates, would suggest that he communicate direct with the Land Commission in the matter.
The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.