asked the Minister for Lands if he will state in respect of each of the past two years (a) the acreage of lands offered for cash, (b) the acreage purchased by the Land Commission in cash or bonds and (c) the acreage not purchased because cash was not available; and if, in view of this country's entry into the EEC, the Land Commission is prepared to purchase all land offered.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Land Purchases.
33.
The information requested in parts (a), (b) and (c) of the question is set out in a tabular statement which I propose, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to circulate with the Official Report.
As regards the rest of the question, I may say that the Land Commission endeavour to purchase all lands offered to them, provided they are suitable and required for the purposes of the Land Acts and subject, of course, to agreement on price with the owners.
Examination of Land Commission policy towards the implementation of the structural improvement measures recently adopted by the Council of Ministers of the EEC is continuing.
Following is the statement:
|
1. |
2. |
3. |
4. |
5. |
6. |
7. |
8. |
|
|
Year Ended |
Lands offered to Land Commission for cash |
Offers subsequently withdrawn by owners |
Agreement on price not reached and negotiations terminated |
Negotiations Proceeding |
Owners agreed to accept Land Bonds |
Agreement on price reached-Sale being completed |
Sale completed and possession obtained |
No price offered by Land Commission |
|
(acres) |
(acres) |
(acres) |
(acres) |
(acres) |
(acres) |
(acres) |
(acres) |
|
|
31/3/'71 |
1,565 |
301 |
36 |
99 |
169 |
118 |
456 |
386 |
|
31/3/'72 |
1,223 |
74 |
75 |
62 |
39 |
629 |
136 |
208 |
NOTES: (1) Lands acquired or purchased for Land Bonds totalled 15,953 acres in 1970/'71 and 15,307 acres in 1971/'72.
(2) Records are not kept on the basis of offers of land for either Bonds or Cash. The above table is derived from an examination of individual files and, while it may not be exhaustive, can be accepted as reasonably accurate.
(3) Negotiations for the purchase of the lands included in Column 8 have not been opened, principally because less cash was available. As to this see the Dáil Debate on the Vote for lands on 28th October, 1971—Volume 256 (No. 4), Columns 464/465.
Is the Minister aware that the reply he has given is completely wrong? I could name three estates which were offered and were not taken up. There is the Gallagher estate at Lucan, and there are two other estates in Offaly which the Land Commission have not taken over. Is this not contrary to what the Minister for Lands told us two years ago when he said that the Land Commission would do their utmost to acquire as big a pool of land as possible to prepare us for the EEC?
The position is that the Land Commission purchase all lands offered provided they are suitable. I have already pointed out that consideration of the situation in relation to the EEC is continuing.
Question No. 34, to the Minister for Education.
Will the Minister not take my word for it? I have a letter upstairs that I got today and the Gallagher estate was offered to the Land Commission and the owner was prepared to sell——
That is a separate question.
But the Minister states——
The Deputy is dealing with a specific case.
I have known of numerous cases where hundreds of acres of land have been offered and they have not been taken up because the Land Commission say they have not got the cash.
I have called Question No. 34, to the Minister for Education.
I pointed out to the Deputy that, where the land is suitable, it is acquired. If the Land Commission have not purchased the particular land in question, then there must be some good reason for it.
It may be because the Gallaghers are closely connected with the present Government. They are members of Taca.
Question No. 34, to the Minister for Education. We cannot discuss this question all afternoon. This is a general question. It does not deal with specific estates.
Of course, it does not.