(South Tipperary) asked the Minister for Lands the present position in respect of the acquisition and division by the Land Commission of the Gleeson Estate at Lackendarra, Ballinamult, County Waterford, and the Lonergan Estate at Tinanira, Ballinamult, County Waterford.
Ceisteanna—Questions Oral Answers. - Land Acquisition and Division.
108.
Possession of the Gleeson Estate — 47 acres — has passed to the Land Commission and it is expected that the lands will be allotted this Spring.
Proceedings for compulsory acquisition of the 143 acre Lonergan Estate have reached the stage where an objection lodged by the owner — since deceased — was disallowed last October and the question of price now falls to be settled.
109.
asked the Minister for Lands why a person (particulars supplied) who owned 64 acres of good land got an allocation of 27 acres while a person adjoining the same estate with 12 acres got nothing.
The selection of allottees is a matter that is exclusively reserved to the Commissioners. I am informed that the County Sligo property on which the disappointed applicant mentioned in the Question sought an allocation contained 59 acres, the bulk of which was allotted to four adjacent smallholders in March, 1966. As is commonly the case where land is being divided, the area available fell far short of meeting the demand and, regrettably, some applicants had to be disappointed.
The person who received an allotment of 27 acres was a married man in his late thirties with four young children. His existing lands comprised 12 acres, valuation £12 3s, and he was reported to have the use of a 43 acre holding — mostly poor quality land — valuation £9 5s over two miles away. Thus, the total valuation of all the lands owned or used by this allottee would amount to less than £22.
The disappointed applicant referred to by the Deputy was a middle-aged married man with no children living on a holding of £5 15s valuation. In April, 1966, following the division of the lands in question, he had an interview with an official in the Land Commission. At this interview his case was fully discussed and he was given a full and fair explanation as to why his application was not successful in the competition for the limited area of land available.
Subsequently, one of the successful applicants surrendered the division — 12 acres — given to him and in February 1968 this area was allotted to the disappointed applicant. At that stage he had a nephew aged about 15 living with him for over a year.
Question No. 10 postponed.