asked the Minister for Lands if he will state whether the Land Commission has so far made any use of the powers contained in the Land Act, 1950, for the purpose of speeding up the acquisition and division of untenanted lands, and whether he will state the total acreage of such land acquired under the terms of that Act since it came into operation.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Acquisition of Untenanted Lands.
I presume the Deputy has in mind the power to purchase land in the open market as conferred under Section 27 of the Land Act, 1950. This power is limited to land offered for sale by vendors and required by the Land Commission for the provision of new holdings for migrants or to facilitate rearrangement of lands held in rundale or intermixed plots. To date five holdings, containing 191 acres, have been purchased under the provisions of Section 27 of the Land Act, 1950, and agreement has been reached for the purchase of five other holdings containing 125 acres.
These purchases are additional to the ordinary acquisition and purchase proceedings of the Land Commission under the Land Act, 1923, as amended by subsequent enactments.