asked the Minister for Lands if he will indicate in respect of County Donegal (a) the number of applicants under the farm retirement scheme (b) the number sanctioned to date and (c) the number paid.
Written Answers. - Farm Retirement Scheme.
61.
Cavan): (a) Ninety-seven applications were received from persons in County Donegal for the benefits of the farmers' retirement scheme but 19 were later withdrawn; (b) to date 44 applicants have been adjudged eligible. Of these, 41 opted to sell their holdings to the Land Commission and the remaining three propose to lease their holdings to development farmers whose plans provide for additional land; (c) eight of the applicants have sold their lands to the Land Commission and are now in receipt of the benefits. Agreement on price has been reached in 13 other cases and the legal formalities are now being settled. Negotiations on price were unsuccessful in 13 cases— and in the remaining seven cases of sales to the Land Commission price negotiations are in progress.
In the case of the three approved applicants who wish to lease their lands the transactions cannot be completed until the applicants have arranged suitable leases with potential development farmers whose plans under the farm modernisation scheme provide for the acquisition of additional land.