asked the Minister for Lands if he will give details of all sales of land to non-nationals since the passing of the Land Act, 1965, giving the reasons for the permission in each case.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Land Sales.
99.
Excluding mortgage interests, areas under 5 acres, and transfers from one national to another, there were, in the 4½ year period from the passing of the Land Act 1965, up to the 30th September, 1969, 362 cases of consent under section 45 of the Act involving 18,748 acres. The total acreage of land in the State is in the region of 16 million acres. The grant of consent under section 45 is an "excepted matter" reserved to the lay commissioners. I understand that the categories within which there may be some prospects of consent being granted are as follows:—
(a) parcels of land not of any significant size having regard to the quality of the land and local conditions generally;
(b) large mansions and grounds which have become insupportably expensive for the ordinary purchaser;
(c) remote estates of low agricultural value, unsuitable for afforestation;
(d) existing bona fide stud farms, with reservations to acreage, being sold as going concerns;
(e) transactions in which the applicant can show that he is going in for some special line—preferably one with export possibilities—and that he has the necessary expertise and capital to back it up.
Would the Minister be able to say if the lay commissioners have carried out the spirit and the letter of the 1965 Act in giving permission to those non-nationals who have already got——
Mr. J. Lenehan
Sir——
May I have a reply to my question before anybody else intervenes?
I would think they have.
The Minister would not be sure?
If the Deputy did not think so, I would certainly convey that.
I made this point during the debate and I should like to repeat now that I do not think they have.
Mr. J. Lenehan
I wonder if the Minister would agree, particularly, in relation to the west of Ireland, that most of the land bought by non-nationals is nothing but rubbish? If these people got this land, they would develop it for some particular purpose which would give employment.
I would accept the Deputy's assessment of the position in the west of Ireland as accurate.
Would the Minister not agree that there are numerous cases where those people appear to have acquired good agricultural land?
I shall forward to Deputy Tully a comprehensive list of the 362 cases. For reasons of public policy, I should not like to do so here.
Thanks very much.
Any further comment the Deputy would like to make after that will be of help to me.