asked the Minister for Lands and Agriculture whether he is aware that twenty-nine plot-holders are being required by the landlords, Messrs Counihan, to relinquish land held for allotments at Johnstown, Finglas Road, Dublin, on the plea that it is more important to provide accommodation land for cattle for export than to enable the plot-holders to grow food; that land formerly held for allotments at Bull Field and Fairfield, Glasnevin, has had to be given up for building, and that there is no other land available in the neighbourhood for allotments, and whether he can take any steps to ensure the retention of these allotments by the holders?
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - FINGLAS (CO. DUBLIN) ALLOTMENTS.
TOMAS MAC EOIN
Mr. HOGAN
The Department of Lands and Agriculture have no power to intervene in the matter within the law.
Is the Minister aware that is has been alleged in this House that he himself was responsible for not having introduced an Allotments' Bill, and can he promise to introduce such a Bill at the earliest possible date after the adjournment?
Mr. HOGAN
I am responsible for failing to introduce that Bill, if the word "failing" satisfies the Deputy. The Bill was promised at the beginning of the Session, but the experience since has been that various local authorities are unable to get applicants for existing plots. The Dublin Corporation, for instance, had to surrender plots to the owners because they could not get applicants for them. It is because of our experience since the promise that we have delayed introducing the Bill. It does seem to us that it would be extraordinary to introduce a Bill to acquire land compulsorily for a specific purpose when, as a matter of fact, land held at present by local authorities for the same purpose, had to be surrendered, or has to be surrendered, because there are not sufficient applicants for the land.
Four or five miles away? Does the Minister not realise that there are cases where men may have surrendered allotments, but that there are other cases where plots have been assiduously and profitably worked, saving the State a considerable sum of money in fact, and that these are now being surrendered because the Minister failed to bring in such a Bill?
Mr. HOGAN
I am aware that, by reason of the fact that there is no compulsory legislation now in existence, plots have been acquired from people who are willing to work them. On the other hand, I am aware that there are areas where plots have had to be surrendered because it was impossible to find people who would work them. We have to look at the proposition as a whole. I agree that it would be well to try and reconcile these two points of view, and to bring in a Bill which would deal with the particular areas, so far as they can be dealt with, where people do require plots and are willing to work them, and, at the same time, which would not do an injustice by giving compulsory powers in districts where there is no necessity for them. It is an extremely difficult problem in view of what is happening, and we are considering the problem from the point of view which Deputy Johnson has just outlined. I make no apologies for the delay, however. The delay was deliberate, and due to the experience that we were having in the matter.
Then the promise made in the Governor-General's speech was made without previous consideration?
Mr. HOGAN
That is not so.