asked the Minister for Agriculture if he is aware of the anger and frustration presently felt by hundreds of small farmers in County Tipperary at the abject failure of the Land Commission to acquire, in the recent past, many estates readily available for division amongst these smallholders, and the action he is prepared to take to satisfy their need of additional land.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Tipperary Estates Acquisition.
16.
I need no reminding of the position of the small farmer with a genuine land need, whether he lives in County Tipperary or elsewhere. In today's circumstances, however, the effectiveness of the traditional acquisition and division programme of the Land Commission is being called more and more into question. Obviously, a new approach is now required and I hope later this year to be coming to the House with proposals for a comprehensive package of measures more appropriate to present-day needs.
Pending the introduction of these new measures, it is surely reasonable that the major emphasis should be on the disposal of land already acquired by the Land Commission.
Is the Minister aware that on 24 March 1,000 smallholders demonstrated in my town, Nenagh, to express their outrage and anger at the failure of his Department to instruct the Land Commission to acquire many large estates in County Tipperary in the recent past? In all of these cases a large number of smallholders who were urgently in need of land were deprived of these lands by his Department by agreeing to the sales privately. Secondly, does not the Minister agree that because of this lack of concern many of these unfortunate smallholders will be forced off the land because they have not viable holdings? Finally, does the Minister agree that the cheque book should not be the priority over the needs of these people who are the backbone of the community in rural Ireland? In my area many of them have waited 14 years for their needs to be recognised and met by the Department but they have not been successful. The Minister may not agree but there seem to be qualifications for obtaining land other than need.
The Deputy is making a speech.
I am expressing the anger of smallholders in County Tipperary.
I am well aware of the unsatisfactory situation in which small farmers find themselves. With regard to Deputy Ryan's reference to the cheque book farmer, new legislation is needed to bring effective control over that serious problem. As I said in my reply, I hope to have new legislation aimed at controlling that situation before the House this year. Before we leave this subject I want to give the Deputy a few statistics about County Tipperary. In the year 1976 the amount of land acquired was 262 hectares; in 1977 it was 296 hectares and last year it was 367 hectares. The number of hectares allotted in 1976 was 400; in 1977 it was 582 and it was 677 last year. I am not boasting about this but the situation has been improving steadily since 1976.
I accept what the Minister has said about the amount of land taken over——
And allotted.
I can assure the Minister that what he has said about acquisition will not satisfy the needs of many smallholders around Nenagh.
I have told the Deputy that he must not make a speech.
In the past four or five months 16 or 17 smallholders who had been waiting for 14 years were deprived of their rights to extra land to ensure viability. The Minister knows what I am talking about.
I am calling the next question.
The Deputy is painting a rather lurid picture.
I am just giving the facts.
(Cavan-Monaghan): Will the Minister not agree that there is a bit of a rush at the moment by people other than farmers to acquire land pending the introduction of the legislation referred to by him? The situation is critical at the moment. There is a real effort to anticipate the legislation and to get in before it is put into operation. Can the Minister do anything to deal with that situation?
There is something that the Minister and the Dáil can do, namely, to get the legislation through the Dáil as quickly as possible when it arrives. Deputies will appreciate that the preparation of such a Bill takes a considerable amount of time. It is not possible to dash off a Bill overnight. It must be examined by every Department and then by the Government.
It must also be examined by the Dáil. The Minister cannot expect the Opposition to do his work for him. If he is slow in bringing in a Bill he cannot expect us to pass it as soon as it is introduced.
We are at Question Time. This is not the time for argument like that.
(Cavan-Monaghan): I have no wish to argue with the Minister. Surely he appreciates the fact that a warning has been given——
The Deputy has asked that question already.
(Cavan-Monaghan): I did not get an answer.
That is not the Chair's fault.
(Cavan-Monaghan): The fact that notice has been served that legislation will be introduced has encouraged people other than farmers to gobble up all the land they can. Can the Minister do anything to deal with that situation by way of a liberal service of section 40 notices or some other procedure?
The only effective way is legislation, as the Deputy knows. He spent a considerable time in the Department of Lands with remarkably little results for his stay there.
I have called the next question.
(Cavan-Monaghan): The Minister is inclined to be argumentative about this matter. I increased the staff, a matter that had been neglected. I recruited 20 inspectors to fill vacancies that existed——
Order. I have called the next question.
Will the Minister say when he will introduce the Bill?
Before the end of the year.