asked the Minister for Agriculture if his Department will notify each landowner of the amount he owes in respect of rent to the Land Commission under the Land Annuities Acts and give the option of paying up all rent due or of continuing the present system.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Land Annuity Rents.
11.
Under existing facilities the payer of a land annuity may at any time ascertain from the Land Commission the cost of redeeming the annuity and he may redeem the annuity if he so wishes.
There are at present close on 500,000 current annuity accounts. To calculate the redemption price and notify the payer in each case would involve a considerable expenditure of time and effort which, I am sure the Deputy will agree, could scarcely be justified having regard to the facilities for redemption already available to each payer. I should, perhaps, say that the Land Commission welcome inquiries from payers with a view to the redemption of annuities.
Would the Minister consider looking to the EEC for a cheap loan to enable farmers——
That is a separate question.
It is not a separate matter.
It does not arise on this question and the Deputy should put down a separate question.
I am referring to the buying out of land annuities and the Land Commission giving the option. The price of land is so high farmers cannot afford to buy out. It is a simple question. Is the Parliamentary Secretary's Department trying to get from the EEC some kind of cheap loan to enable farmers to buy out such lands?
Such cheap loans are not available and, if a farmer wants to avail of the annuity to buy out land, then he must continue paying under the annuity system.