asked the Minister for Lands (a) the acreage now in the hands of the Land Commission in County Sligo for distribution, (b) when this land or lands will be allocated, (c) the number of farms offered to the Land Commission but not accepted and the reason why, (d) the number of farms reported to the Land Commission for acquisition in County Sligo in 1967 and the number acquired, and (e) whether the Land Commission office in Sligo has sufficient staff.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Sligo Land Division.
87.
Replies to the various parts of the Question are as follows:
(a) the area of arable lands on hands of the Land Commission in County Sligo at present is 900 acres.
(b) It is not possible to indicate when this land will be allotted but there will be no avoidable delay. The necessary local enquiries preliminary to allotment are being pushed forward as rapidly as circumstances permit. During the last three complete financial years the aggregate area allotted in County Sligo was 3,200 acres—and it is expected that for the current year it may be possible to achieve a total allotment of some 1,200 acres.
(c) During the financial year 1966-67, the number of holdings in County Sligo which were offered for sale to the Land Commission but were not accepted was ten, comprising 270 acres. The determination of lands to be purchased is reserved exclusively to the Commissioners and decisions must necessarily be governed by the particular circumstances of individual cases. Generally it can be said that where properties which are offered for sale to the Land Commission are not accepted the main reason is that they are not considered suitable for land settlement purposes. If the Deputy is interested in any particular property, I would suggest that he communicate direct with the Land Commission.
(d) During the financial year 1966-67 the Land Commission had inspections made and reports obtained in respect of 32 properties in County Sligo containing upwards of 1,300 acres. The total intake of land for the year was 1,000 acres comprising 39 properties.
(e) For organisational purposes Counties Sligo and Leitrim form one inspectorate area. There are at present nine inspectors in the area and I hope that it will be possible to strengthen the staffing of the area in the near future.