Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 11 Dec 1962

Vol. 198 No. 7

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Division of Meath Estates.

63.

Mr. Tully

asked the Minister for Lands if he will give (a) particulars of each estate in County Meath which was taken over by the Land Commission but has not yet been divided; (b) the date on which it was acquired; (c) the approximate date on which it will be divided; and (d) the reason why each estate which has been in the possession of the Land Commission for more than two years has not been allocated before now.

Mr. Lenihan

The reply to parts (a) and (b) of the Question takes the form of a tabular statement which I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to circulate with thes Official Report.

As regards (c) it is not possible at present to indicate when each of the properties listed—many of which were taken over within the past year—will be disposed of but there will be no avoidable delay. Already this year, some 840 acres have been allotted in Co. Meath and, while the land settlement programme for the remainder of the current financial year is necessarily still tentative, it is hoped that the aggregate allotment in the county for the year as a whole will be in the region of 2,000 acres.

As regards (d), delay in the disposal of the relatively small number of estates involved is attributable to such factors as the selection of suitable allottees—mainly in the migrant category—and associated difficulties arising in connection with the execution of requisite improvements works.

Following is the statement:—

PARTICULARS of Estates on hands in County Meath—apart from turbary, insignificant residues, and lands transferred in exchanges—

Estate	Record No.	Townland	Area (Acres)	Date of Possession
Roscrea Meats	S9969	Newtownclonbun, etc.	467	17/4/57
Sweetman	S21548	Drumbaragh	170	1/10/58
Lambart	S21586	Thurstianstown, etc.	293	3/12/59
Gearty	S21605	Augherskea	148	8/12/59
Blake	S21667	Mullaghdillon	262	9/12/59
Roundtree	S21670	Martry	196	9/2/60
Nugent	S6411	Colvinstown	25	1/4/60
Smith	S21875	Collistown, etc.	410	16/12/60
Murray	U.C.197	Tanderagee	162	4/1/61
Beggan	S21777	Diamor	169	14/4/61
Wilkinson	S21912	Baldoyle, etc.	239	1/3/61
Keating	S21976	Cabragh	128	15/3/61
Scargill	S22071	Assey, etc.	682	10/8/61
McDermott	S21123	Macetown	143	1/11/61
Legge Bourke	S22085	Ardmulchan	654	5/12/61
Weily	S22234-5	Ballin, etc.	373	5/2/62
Doody	S22211	Baltrasna	274	26/6/62
De Stacpoole	S8035S22016	CloncowanArdanew, etc.	613	27/2/62
Wilkinson	U.C.266	Wotton, etc.	316	5/6/62
Murphy	U.C.258	Cloneycavan	54	21/5/62
Kennedy	U.C.270	Hammondstown	117	30/5/62
Montgomery	S5000	Kilmur	355	9/2/62
McKeever	S22189	Rahood	104	16/8/62
McKeever	S22188	Cruicetown, etc.	168	31/7/62
Fahy	S22257	Moneymore	121	24/10/62
McKeever	S21163 & II	Birdhill	168	3/12/62
McDermott	S21966	Tullaghmedan	50	4/12/62

Mr. Tully

Will the Parliamentary Secretary not agree that a period of eight or nine years is a bit too long to retain lands which the Land Commission acquired for the purpose of dividing among suitable applicants?

Mr. Lenihan

It depends on the circumstances.

Mr. Tully

What circumstances would justify that?

Mr. Lenihan

There are circumstances where the Land Commission require a pool of land to do a proper scheme, with the result that they may have to keep an estate for a period.

Mr. Tully

The Land Commission have acquired estates and kept them for seven or eight years because they were making a damn good thing out of them.

Mr. Lenihan

Because they were waiting to do a damn good scheme.