asked the Minister for Lands if any assessment has been made of the land requirements of farmers in the Tonemoyle area, Tuam, County Galway; if the Land Commission are satisfied that farms in the area are viable; and if he will state, in respect of any land that was considered for acquisition in the area in the past three years, the action taken by the Land Commission in regard to it and, if it was not acquired, why.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Galway Lands.
49.
It is not the practice of the Land Commission to undertake such assessments except as part of their inquiries relating to the acquisition or resale of particular estates.
As I stated in reply to a question by the Deputy on 19th February last, the Land Commission recently carried out an inspection of a holding in Tonemoyle with a view to determining whether acquisition proceedings should be instituted. Although aware that there were undersized holdings in the district they decided as a result of that inspection not to proceed further in the matter. They were satisfied that the lands in question were adequately worked and that the total area held by the owner did not comprise an economic unit.
Is the Minister aware that considerable pressure has been brought to bear on the Land Commission to have this estate acquired in the past two years? In the opinion of the local people the estate has not been worked properly for a number of years.
I have stated in my reply that the Land Commission are satisfied that the lands were adequately worked but that the total area did not comprise an economic unit. I have another note here which states that there are no proceedings for the acquisition of any lands in Tonemoyle. However, if the Deputy has any suitable holdings in mind and if he furnishes particulars, the matter will be investigated.
The holding in question is the Murphy estate and the Land Commission have been notified about it several times. I am surprised they have not proceeded to acquire it.
All I can do is convey the Deputy's remarks to the Minister for Lands.