Vol. 487 No. 8
21 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the estimated acreage still held in commonage ownership; if he supports the concept of divided separate ownership of commonage; and the proposals, if any, he has to encourage this development. [5093/98]
The area of land held in commonage ownership in this country is estimated to be in excess of 500,000 hectares. The Land Commission had for many years provided considerable assistance to the division of commonage.
However, about 80 per cent of this estimated area is located in areas designated, or likely to be designated, as special areas of conservation (SACs). In these areas the erection of fences between individual defined plots of land, which usually follows commonage division, would not be desirable and consequently the encouragement of the division of land held in common ownership is no longer desirable.
