asked the Minister for Lands and Fisheries whether he will state when the Land Commission will deal with the acute congestion that exists in the townlands of Kilkeeran, Cloonliffen and Cloneagh, Ballinrobe District, County Mayo, all of which are on the Knox estate in that area; whether he is aware that the Land Commission have this estate on hands for at least ten years, and whether he will state why the claims of the small landholders in this area are not being satisfied.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - ACQUISITION AND DIVISION OF MAYO LANDS.
The holdings on the townlands of Kilkeeran, Cloonliffen and Cloneagh, on the estate of C.H.C. Knox, Co. Mayo, which was acquired by the late Congested Districts Board, were striped about six years ago, but the tenants on more than one occasion refused to accept the proposed re-arrangements, which included an offer to migrate some of them.
Any further dealings with these holdings must now be held over pending the relief of congestion in more urgent cases of other estates in Ballinrobe district, but the small land holders on the townlands referred to had, and still have, the benefit of the grazing of the lands in the hands of the Land Commission on this estate pending the resale of the holdings. There is no acute congestion on this estate.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary not aware that this land is let in what is known as rundale—some of the tenants having small holdings in as many as twenty patches, and some of their annuities amounting to only 50s.? In view of these facts, does he contend that acute congestion does not exist?
The fact that the tenants have not signed the agreement has prevented the carrying out of the scheme of re-arrangement, doing away with the rundale lettings. As soon as the tenants have signed the agreement, we shall carry out the scheme of re-arrangement, but not until then.