asked the Minister for Agriculture if he has noted the contents of the recent report on ownership of farms by the National Economic and Social Council; and if he will indicate the action he proposes to take to ensure that more land is available for persons wishing to extend their holdings.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Farm Ownership.
10.
I have noted the contents of this report with considerable interest and I most highly commend the NESC for the work and effort put into its compilation by all the people involved. As regards making more land available for persons wishing to extend their holdings the position, as the Deputy is aware, is that late last year the Taoiseach, in consultation with the Ministers for Agriculture and Finance and the former Minister for Lands, established a group to carry out a comprehensive and wide-ranging review of the existing policy and programme of land structural reform and to formulate proposals and options for future land policy. Until the report of this committee is received and is considered by the Government I am not in a position to indicate what lines future land policy will take. The Deputy will, however, have seen my recent statement that the division of lands on the hands of the Land Commission will be accelerated and that the target allocation for this year will be in the region of 40,000 acres.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary accept that the report indicated that there would be less and less land available for persons requiring land to extend their holdings and they will be more dependent in years to come on the Land Commission providing land for them, and would he also agree that the farm retirement scheme has been a failure and has not achieved the purpose it was hoped it would achieve?
I agree it has not been a success and I prophesied here that it would not be a success and, even though it has been updated by the former Minister for Lands, Deputy T. J. Fitzpatrick, it is not in my view yet a success and it will not measure up to the requirements of many farmers who are anxious to obtain additional allotments. However, the scheme is still functioning and let us hope that, with the improvements in the retirement allowance for those who avail of the scheme, more land will be coming into the pool.
I was glad to hear the Parliamentary Secretary say the scheme was not a success, because that is completely opposed to the view of his Taoiseach as expressed in Cavan a few weeks ago when he lauded the scheme and thought 27 applicants in that county in two years had been a great achievement.
A question, please. The Deputy is making a statement.