asked the Minister for Lands and Agriculture whether he is aware that there are about twenty congests who have turbary rights and who live chiefly by the cutting and sale of turf on the Charles Bury Estate, Downings North, Co. Kildare, recently acquired by the Land Commission, and whether it is the intention in the allocation of these lands to interfere with the turbary rights of these congests.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - TURBARY RIGHTS.
The Land Commission will, on the division of the lands on the Bury Estate to purchasers, give full consideration to the claims of any persons entitled to turbary rights thereon.
Does the Minister mean by that turbary rights? Will the Minister take into account the position of people who have been hiring turbary annually for cutting and selling?
Mr. HOGAN
That is what I mean. I used the words "turbary rights" because I wanted to put it in line with the question. He asked whether I was aware that there were 20 congests who had "turbary rights." I wanted to answer that special point.
Will the Minister also arrange for consideration of people who have not got legal rights?
Mr. HOGAN
Certainly.
asked the Minister for Lands and Agriculture if he has received repeated representations during the last two years from tenants and uneconomic holders on and adjacent to, the estate of Richard Carter, Leix, regarding a dispute in connection with rights of turbary on the estate, and if he is now in a position to state whether the Land Commission will exercise the powers conferred upon them under Section 42 of the Land Act, 1923.
Mr. HOGAN
The Land Commission are having the estate of Richard Carter inspected with a view to deciding whether action will be taken in connection therewith under the provisions of the 1923 Land Act.
Is it not correct to say that inspectors from the Land Commission visited that particular area two or three times, and if so, what is the nature of the report?
Mr. HOGAN
I cannot say whether the inspectors had visited the land two or three times. I am not in a position to say that. If I were aware that the Deputy wanted to know accurately what stage the case had reached I would have that information for him.
I want to know if the Land Commission is to exercise the powers conferred on them by Section 42 of the Act.
Mr. HOGAN
The position of the Land Commission is this: they are having the land inspected with a view to deciding whether they will or will not exercise these powers. They must get the facts before coming to such decision, and it would be premature for me to give any undertaking before these facts are obtained and until I have them before myself.