asked the Minister for Lands if he will state the location, acreage, and year of acquisition, of all lands in the possession of the Land Commission in County Mayo; whether schemes have been prepared by the Land Commision for the division of these lands; and when it is proposed to carry out these schemes.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Land Commission Land in Mayo.
A comprehensive reply to a question of this kind in relation to such a large and active county as Mayo would necessitate considerable investigation and labour and it is not practicable at present to divert staff for such a purpose. Broadly speaking, however, the position is as follows:—
Including untenanted land on estates of the former Congested Districts Board, the Land Commission have on hands an arable area of 5,500 acres situated in various districts throughout County Mayo. In addition, there are on hands some 13,500 acres of bog, rough grazing, woods and waste, largely comprising residues of allotted estates and generally very difficult to dispose of. Though some of the properties came on hands prior to 1950, the bulk of the arable lands passed into possession of the Land Commission only in recent years and consists of the vacated holdings of migrants who have been transferred to the midlands: in the main these surrendered lands will be devoted to curing the rundale problem in the county.
It would not be possible at present to indicate when all lands on hands can be allotted but every effort is being made to secure the early disposal of at least the arable area. Over 2,000 acres have already been allotted in County Mayo this year and I am hopeful that the total allotment in the county for the current financial year will reach 4,000 acres.
Would the Minister say if unvested tenanted holdings are included in the figure he gave?
I think so; I could not be certain until I looked through the detailed list.