asked the Minister for Lands if he will state (a) the amount of land acquired by the Land Commission in County Meath for migrants from the congested areas since the 18th February, 1948; (b) the number of migrants settled there during this period; (c) the number it is expected to settle there within the next 12 months.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Meath Migrants.
(a) Under existing legislation, the Land Commission do not acquire lands specifically for migrants. When an estate is acquired, policy provides that local uneconomic holdings be enlarged and that any surplus land be utilised for migrants.
(b) The answer is 15.
(c) Pending the enactment of the Land Bill, 1949, many acquisition cases are in suspension and consequently it is impossible to give an accurate forecast as to this part of the question.
Will the Minister say how he reconciles that answer with the statement previously made by a land commissioner who should know the facts that the fertile lands of Meath which were not being run productively should be made available for the relief of congestion in the West, a statement with which I thoroughly agree?
Would the Minister say whether, if these lands in Meath were divided, that policy would not run counter to the policy of the Minister for Agriculture, the Minister appointed by the Coalition, to put bullocks on the land instead of people?