asked the Minister for Lands if local farmers are consulted before the forestry department completes the purchase of a farm for forestry purposes.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Farm Purchases.
42.
The answer is in the negative. Close liaison is, however, maintained with the Land Commission to ensure that no land required for Land Commission purposes is acquired for forestry and it is not the policy to acquire land for forestry which investigation reveals may be more suitably devoted to agriculture.
Is the Minister aware that very often where the Forestry Division take over a farm of 50 or 100 acres there is ten or 15 acres of good arable land on it and it is impossible to get the Forestry Division to hand that over to economic farmers under any conditions? For 17 years I have been arguing with them about it and I have not succeeded once. Where there is this small portion of arable land——
We cannot discuss the matter.
The Deputy should keep trying.
What is the good in trying when they will not agree?