asked the Minister for Lands if the Naper Estate at Lough-Crew, Oldcastle, Meath, is about to be purchased by a non-national; and if in view of the fact that large portions of this Estate are comprised of evicted tenants' farms, many of whose successors still live in its vicinity, the Land Commission will oppose this sale and have the Estate allocated amongst Irish nationals.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Sale of Meath Estates.
34.
The information available to me does not go so far as to indicate that the purchase of this property by a non-national is imminent.
The Land Commission have, in fact, decided to institute proceedings for the acquisition of a substantial portion of the estate and earlier this month the owner was notified accordingly.
35.
asked the Minister for Lands if he is aware that the Leonard Estate at Culmullen, the Cosgrave Estate at Clonee, Longwood, and the More O'Ferrall Estate at Ballyna, Moyvalley, County Meath, were advertised for public sale, and were bought by non-nationals of German extraction; if he will state whether the Land Commission sought to acquire those estates; and, if not, why; and if the Land Commission have given sanction to those sales.
Voluntary negotiations for the purchase of the Leonard estate failed on the question of price. Compulsory proceedings by the Land Commission for acquisition of part of the Cosgrave estate failed as the owner's objection was allowed. It is understood that the More O'Ferrall estate was recently sold by private treaty, but I am not aware of the identify of the purchaser. There was no necessity under law for the vendors in these cases to get the permission of the Land Commission to these sales.
Is the Minister aware that, within a five mile radius of my own place, over 1,500 acres have been purchased in the last month by Germans? Further is he aware that those sales have upset the balance of purchases by farmers in County Meath? There is no hope of a farmer being able to buy land for his son. Germans, Saxons, Poles and Dutchmen now control the land market of County Meath. The Land Commission should do something to save Irishmen from the emigrant ship and from being hewers of wood and drawers of water for all time.
If the Deputy wants to abolish the right of free sale and to transfer the powers of the Irish Land Commission to me, I suggest that he should put down a motion to that effect.
Will the Minister say whether the Land Commission have any proceedings pending for the acquisition of the More O'Ferrall estate?
That is a separate question which I could not answer from the information before me.
Does the Minister not agree that the right of free sale was held sacrosanct in this country for our own people, not for the accommodation of foreign landlords, and does the Minister consider in view of the general malaise there is about this whole business that it would be useful if some steps were taken to register the nature of these transactions in some register where the public would find reliable information as to their true nature?
I refer the Deputy to the statement made on this issue recently both by the Taoiseach and myself. I said that from the information available to me this matter is wildly exaggerated. I can assure the House, however, that the matter is being kept under very close scrutiny both by me and other Departments of Government.
Can the Minister say if the Land Commission have precisely the same powers over land purchased by non-nationals as land purchased by nationals?
It is true to say that the Land Commission have exactly the same power. I should have added to my reply to Deputy Dillon that, of course, the right of free sale comes in in this matter. It is our own people who are selling the land.
Could Russians buy it?
A "Chink" could buy it.
The Minister is making very little of the Chinese, the friends of the Minister for External Affairs, in calling them "Chinks".
He looked around first and saw that the Minister for External Affairs was not in the House.