asked the Minister for Lands the number of farmers in Counties Sligo and Leitrim who qualified for pension when he introduced a pension scheme for farmers who gave up their lands a few years ago.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Sligo-Leitrim Farmer-Pensioners.
88.
Since the scheme of life annuities for elderly, incapacitated or blind persons was brought into operation early in 1967, no more than 47 firm applications have been received from landowners in the Sligo Leitrim area, and, of these, 46 have been investigated. Some 20 applications had to be eliminated at an early stage, mainly because the lands offered were not considered suitable or required for Land Commission purposes, and a further 17 were withdrawn—the owners preferring to offer their lands to the Land Commission in the ordinary way for cash or land bonds. In all, nine applications developed into potential life annuity cases and advanced to the stage where price negotiations with the landowners concerned were authorised. The price offered was refused in seven cases and agreement has been reached with the remaining two owners.
Has the Parliamentary Secretary told us that out of 47 investigations only two cases were passed? Did I understand him correctly when I think he said that two cases got through out of 47?
No. Not only two have been passed out of 47. Only two have been finalised for different reasons and some at the instigation of the applicants themselves. The Deputy would be misinterpreting me if he said that only two have been passed.
What is the difference between my word "passed" and the Parliamentary Secretary's word "finalised"?
"Passed" seems to imply that there was a decision to reject them or that decisions were taken by the Land Commission to reject all the applications.
That is not what I asked. Is it true that only two cases have been passed?
Two have been finalised, yes.
What is the difference between "passed" and "finalised"? No answer.