asked the Minister for Lands if he will arrange that lettings of land on the 11-month system made by the Land Commission will be made only to such farmers who would normally qualify for allotment of such lands.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Land Lettings.
10.
(Cavan): Current policy provides for the letting of Land Commission lands by public auction. This is generally accepted as being the fairest system and the one least likely to give cause for complaints. Every effort is made to offer lands in lots of a size suitable to the requirements of local smallholders and all interested parties have an opportunity of bidding for lots in which they are interested. In exceptional circumstances where hardship is seen to exist the Land Commission may make lettings by private treaty.
Would the Minister accept that the present system is more advantageous to the man of money rather than the weak farmer?
(Cavan): I suppose it is true to say that a man who has money has a better chance of taking land than a man without money, but experience has shown and indeed common sense dictates that the fairest way of letting land is by public auction because everybody then has an opportunity to bid for it. The Land Commission do their best to arrange that land is offered in small lots and not in big tracts, and when it is let in small lots local smallholders have a good opportunity of bidding for it, and indeed it is unlikely that outsiders will come in and bid big amounts for small areas of land.
Will the Minister accept that the present situation accommodates what might be regarded as entrepreneurs in agriculture, that businessmen who have no connections with land are able to outbid local small struggling farmers?
(Cavan): I do not agree with the Deputy that the present system confers any advantage of the nature he describes. I would say it is not perfect but I do not think it is possible to get a better system. The ideal thing is to get the land allotted and into the hands of the people for whom it is intended with a minimum of delay, and I am urging the Land Commission to do just that. When the Land Commission take possession of land they must let it if they are not in a position to allot it, and during that interregnum there will be complaints and, I suppose, there will be abuses.
The Minister will recall that about 12 months ago I asked him a similar question and that he gave me a similar answer. At that time I suggested to the Minister that he should look into this and he promised to do so. It is well known that it is land owners from far away who purchase at these auctions and there are no observers on behalf of the Land Commission to see that local smallholders get a chance of purchasing.
Might I suggest to the Deputy that he proceed by way of question.
The Land Commission hold on to the land for a couple of years letting it for grazing and local smallholders could work the land if the rentals were made similar to those of allotments on a permanent basis. The Minister promised to look into that a year ago and his reply a year ago was exactly similar to his reply today.
(Cavan): It is just not possible to let the land to those to whom it will be allotted. If that were possible the sensible thing would be to allot it straight away and not let it at all. What Deputies are saying about outsiders coming in does happen, but it is not the general practice.
It is the general practice down my way.
(Cavan): In order to discourage such a practice the Land Commission offer the land in small parcels suitable to the requirements of local congests.
The Minister says public auction is the fairest way. At public auctions it is the man with the biggest cheque book who can buy. If it is by auction legally it must go to the highest bidder.
(Cavan): Not necessarily.
I thought whenever the hammer falls that person must get the land.
A supplementary question, Deputy, please.
Arising out of the Minister's reply, I have suggested time and again to the Land Commission that colloping the land, giving so many cattle to the people within a mile who would be likely applicants and suitable applicants for land, would be the ideal. Further arising out of the Minister's reply, I realise you just cannot divide land immediately after getting it, but there would be less criticism of the Land Commission if the likely applicants got the land at a reasonable price.
I am afraid the Deputy is making a statement.
Arising out of the Minister's reply we down in the west have condemned the public auction system.
This is not good enough. This is Question Time and the Deputy is not seeking information by way of supplementary question.
I would like to get an answer on this. I would like the Minister to consider changing the system entirely.
(Cavan): I will consider that, but it would be quite possible to offer land for letting subject to conditions that only farmers with a certain valuation within a certain radius would qualify. But what happens then if someone comes in and bids in their names or they bid on behalf of someone else and hand the land over to somebody else?
Surely the Minister could check up on that. That sounds illegal. That is like drinking in the pub after hours.