asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state (a) the number of fisheries in which the right of fresh water netting was extinguished in pursuance of the provisions of the Fisheries Act, 1939; (b) the average valuation of such fisheries; (c) the number in which compensation was paid for the extinction of the right; (d) the total amount of such compensation; and (e) the basis of computation of such compensation.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Extinction of Fishery Rights.
The replies to the several parts of this question are as follows: (a) all netting in freshwater is prohibited under the Fisheries Act, 1939, the relevant provision of which (Section 35) came into operation on 1st January, 1948. It is not feasible to state precisely the number of fisheries affected, but it is probably about 70; (b) in some cases, net fisheries, rod fisheries and/or weir fisheries in the same ownership had been combined for purposes of valuation and separate assessments have not yet been announced; (c) and (d) actual disbursement of compensation has not yet been made in any case, but negotiations are in progress with several claimants; (e) the basis of compensation must of necessity be related to the particular circumstances of each case.
Is the Minister prepared even yet to consider some of these people for compensation?
Yes. It is true that the progress has been somewhat tedious, but the Deputy may rest assured that everybody who has a claim envisaged by this Act will be heard and will have his claim, if he requests it, submitted to a completely independent arbitrator, if compensation cannot be fixed by agreement.