asked the Minister for Lands if he will state the total amount of money paid by way of cash or bonds for land purchased for the relief of congestion in each of the years 1935-36, 1954-55, 1955-56, 1956-57 and 1957-58.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Payments for Land Purchased to Relieve Congestion.
The following are the amounts of purchase money and tenants' compensation paid by the Land Commission in land bonds and cash for lands purchased, acquired or resumed in the years mentioned (the bulk of these lands being utilised for the relief of congestion):—
|
Year ended 31st March |
Total Purchase Money and Tenants' Compensation |
|
£ |
|
|
1936 |
748,512 |
|
1955 |
404,865 |
|
1956 |
543,394 |
|
1957 |
502,955 |
|
1958 |
566,319 |
Is it a fact that over £700,000 was expended on land in 1936 for the relief of congestion?
Surely that does not arise on this question. The Deputy has asked for figures. He has got the figures. Deductions from those figures do not arise on this question.
Is it not obvious, because of the question I asked in connection with the Rockingham estate, that sufficient money is not being made available to the Land Commission by the Government and, consequently, they are not in a position to purchase estates like the Rockingham estate and the Mount Browne estate?
That does not arise on the question.
Only half the amount of money is made available now for the purchase of land.
The Land Commission's attention was drawn by me—it was hardly necessary — to the desirability of paying particular attention to large, badly-worked estates as being more valuable for division and more economic and, indeed, being more desirable for acquisition in every way than the purchase of very small allotments, save in cases of rearrangement.