asked the Minister for Lands and Agriculture if he is aware of the serious loss and inconvenience caused to annuitants owing to the discontinuance by the Land Commission of the issue of the six-day notices, and, if so, whether he will take the necessary steps to re-establish the system of issuing such notices in future.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - LAND COMMISSION NOTICES.
Mr. HOGAN
It is not proposed to revert to the practice of issuing these notices. The reasons for the discontinuance of the practice of issuing 6-day notices in connection with the collection of land purchase instalments were dealt with by me in my statement in debate in the Dáil on 11th January, 1924, and again on 2nd December, 1925, in reply to a question in regard to proceedings against defaulters in County Kerry.
I am afraid that I cannot ask a supplementary question on account of the tone of voice in which the Minister answered the question. I do not know what he said.
Mr. HOGAN
I said it is not proposed to revert to the practice of issuing those notices, and I referred to the reasons already given in a debate in the Dáil for that decision.
Could the Minister give us any indication how much the extra cost of this is—how much the legal Department of the Land Commission recovered from the excess costs because of this? How much have they recovered in excess costs from the annuitants?
Mr. HOGAN
I do not think that arises on the question.
It does, and it is a very serious matter. Could the Minister give us any indication of the amount the Land Commission has recovered by reason of having discontinued this six-days' notice? Is it for the purpose of financing the legal Department of the Land Commission that this notice has been discontinued?
Mr. HOGAN
It is to save the taxpayer.
To save the taxpayer?
Some time ago the Minister gave us an undertaking in connection with this matter that he would retain the receivable orders until the annuities mature and then send them out in order to save expense. That has not been done. That would not involve additional expenditure.
Mr. HOGAN
I think the Deputy is on a different point. The suggestion that the receivable orders should be retained and sent out immediately the instalment becomes due, would not clear up the situation. That would be no good to people in arrears and these are the people who are making trouble. We never get any complaints from people who have paid their annuities as they fall due. These people never complain that they have not got their receivable orders.
Is the Minister aware how inaccurate that statement is?
Mr. HOGAN
Perhaps the Deputy will allow me to finish and then make his speech afterwards. I was pointing out that we never get any complaints from people who pay their annuities. The people who always complain that they have not got their receivable orders are the people who are in arrears. You could not retain the receivable orders until the instalment would mature; in the case of people who are in arrears I am afraid that would not meet the point.
There are, to my own knowledge, numbers of cases where regular payers of their annuities have not received their receivable orders. That occurred in my own case. I admit I overlooked the matter, but I know there are many other cases of the same kind. I think it would be a great asset to everybody if the receivable orders were retained by the Land Commission until the annuities had matured and were then sent out. That would not cost any extra expense.
Mr. HOGAN
There you are. Would it be right to change the procedure for people who would undoubtedly overlook it? In fifty per cent. of the cases everybody would wait until he got the six-days' notice and the receivable orders would be so much waste of time and expense. That is what would happen.
I do not want to revert to the six-days' notice at all on account of the additional expenditure it would involve, but what I do want is the retention by the Land Commission of the receivable orders until the next moiety is due.
Mr. HOGAN
That would meet the Deputy's case but not the case of those who are always in arrears.
Does the Minister remember making a promise in the Dáil some time ago that he would make this change?
Mr. HOGAN
I remember saying I would consider it and I have given the reasons.