asked the Minister for Lands if he will state the acreage (a) on offer to the forestry division for planting; (b) inspected and recommended for acquisition; (c) recommended for acquisition and for which a price has been offered; (d) on which a price agreement has been reached but title has not yet been cleared, and (e) acquired since 1st April, 1951.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Land for Planting.
The total area on offer for State forestry purposes is 146,000 acres. Of this area 44,679 acres have been inspected and found suitable for acquisition. Of the area already inspected and found suitable, agreement on price has been reached in respect of 18,689 acres and a price has been offered for 12,044 acres.
The area acquired from the 1st April, 1951 to the 31st October, 1951, is 10,237 acres.
In view of the fact that approximately 100,000 acres, according to the Minister's reply, is awaiting inspection, would the Minister consider increasing the staff of the forestry division in order to catch up on that 100,000 acres?
A good many inspectors are employed on this work in different parts of the country. I shall consider the suggestion made by the Deputy.
Would the Minister not agree that if he is to complete the programme of reafforestation designed by the last Government he will have to increase the staff?
I am not committed to any programme of the last Government. I hope to have a programme that has some thought behind it and one to which some attention has been given.
Programmes dictated by the Department of Finance.
It was mostly talk that we had about afforestation by people in the City of Dublin who knew nothing about it.
I think the increase in the annual Estimate from £300,000 to £1,263,000 cannot be described as talk by the people of the City of Dublin.
The Minister would not understand that.
He does not know what he is talking about.