asked the Minister for Fisheries if he will state, for each of the several Land Acts (1) the area of land acquired; (2) the amount of land divided; (3) the rates of interest, sinking fund, and average number of years' purchase; (4) the amount of annuities paid under each Act last year, and (5) the maximum and minimum number of years the annuities have in each case still to run.
WRITTEN ANSWERS. - PURCHASE TERMS, ETC., UNDER LAND ACTS.
It is assumed that the Deputy's question has reference only to untenanted land acquired and divided.
(1) and (2): The area of untenanted land in Saorstát Eireann acquired and divided by the Land Commission and the (late) Congested Districts Board is as follows:—
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Untenanted Land (including rough mountain, bog and plantation as well as arable land, and lands formerly tenanted acquired from migrants and others in exchange for other lands). |
Acquired.Area(Acres.) |
Divided.Area(Acres.) |
|
By Land Commission (Estates Commissioners): |
||
|
Under Irish Land Act, 1903 |
303,211 |
294,706 |
|
Under Irish Land Act, 1909 |
64,775 |
64,038 |
|
By (late) Congested Districts Board: |
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|
Prior to the Act of 1903 |
26,953 |
*520,000 |
|
Under Irish Land Act, 1903 |
72,982 |
|
|
Under Irish Land Act, 1909 |
368,934 |
|
|
Out of Board's own funds or by exchange |
140,292 |
|
|
By Land Commission under Land Acts, 1923-27 |
220,231 |
140,000 |
|
TOTAL |
1,197,378 |
1,018,744 |
* The lands not yet divided on (c), (d), (e) estates consist almost entirely of rough mountain grazing and turbary.
(3) Annuities in respect of advances made under the Act of 1903 are at the rate of 3¼ per cent. (of which 2¾ per cent. represents interest and ½ per cent. represents sinking fund). Annuities in respect of advances made under the Act of 1909 are at the rate of 3½ per cent. (of which 3 per cent. represents interest and ½ per cent. represents sinking fund). Section 45 (2) of the 1903 Act prescribes that the purchase annuity shall be paid until the whole of the advance in respect of which it is payable is ascertained to have been repaid. Annuities in respect of advances made under the Land Acts, 1923-7, are at the rate of 4¾ per cent. (of which 4½ per cent. represents interest and ¼ per cent. represents sinking fund).
(4) Annuities charged on parcels of untenanted land are not segregated in collection from annuities payable in respect of tenanted land, so that the information asked for in paragraph (4) of the Deputy's question is not available.
(5) The term of repayment under the Land Act, 1923, will be approximately 66½ years. In the case of earlier Acts the length of the term for which annuities have yet to run depends on the earning power of the sinking funds.