Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 16 September 2016
1576. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the files, documents and maps relating to the Land Commission are available for public inspection; the location at which all of this information is stored; if it is in digital format; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25748/16]
View answerThe records of the former Irish Land Commission mainly documents and maps are stored in the Records Branch of my Department located in the Clonminam Industrial Estate, Portlaoise. There are no plans at present to make these records generally available to the public as they are still working documents.
The Estate title documents are privately owned by the Estates Vendors and their Assigns, and form part of the root of title of those allotted land on the Estate and are not available to the general public for research etc, unlike other State documents in the custody of the National Archives. The other documents in Records Branch are files on individuals who sold land to the former Commission and those who applied for and were allotted land by the former Commission. These files are not available to the general public as they contain private, sensitive information and are subject to the provisions of the Data Protection and Freedom of Information Acts.
Owners and purchasers of land and their legal representatives are allowed access to and copies of relevant documents and maps.
The records of the former Commission are not available in digital format.
