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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 1 Apr 1987

Vol. 371 No. 6

Ceisteanna—Question. Oral Answers. - Land Policy.

26.

asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the Government policy in relation to the Land Commission.

I am at present examining all aspects of land policy, including policy in relation to the Land Commission, and am not yet in a position to say what the outcome of this examination will be.

That leaves the field very open. Obviously I and others are interested in the view of the present Government. Do the Government intend to have the Land Commission continued or replaced by a land authority? Can the Minister give the slightest indication, or were any views at all formulated before the election as to the policy of the Government party in relation to a land authority?

It would not have been morning or bedtime reading for the Deputy during the course of the election campaign but our programme indicated very clearly that it is our policy to establish a land authority. Clearly that policy remains. The Deputy will acknowledge that it would be asking the impossible to expect the outlays of that right now after such a short while in Government. As the outgoing Government decided to dissolve the Land Commission and legislation was prepared and has been awaiting Government approval and circulation for some years, I am anxious to ensure that no such delay will occur in our case. The necessary legislation to transfer functions was not circulated and we have waited more than two years for this to happen. I want to assure the Deputy that we will approach this matter with great urgency. This commission was abolished in 1984 but we did not have any legislation to give real effect to what the Government did.

The Minister will be aware that for me and many others the Fianna Fáil programme is compulsory reading. We will be discussing that programme in this House on many occasions in the months to come, perhaps unpleasant reminders to the authors of that programme.

A question, please.

The amount of information in the programme is rather sketchy especially where it says that a land authority will encourage the building up of as many family farms as possible to a reasonable size. Can the Minister say at this stage and in the light of that commitment if the Land Commission will be abolished? If the answer is in the affirmative, what would be the scope and scale of the land authority referred to in the Fianna Fáil programme?

One of the consequences of a decision taken by the outgoing administration in 1985 was to transfer the bulk of the Land Commission inspectorate to the farm tax office. That seriously affected any programme for land restructuring. The bulk of the Land Commission staff were transferred to an office which produced a gross income of about £2 million. Now that has been terminated, we will be able to reallocate those people to their proper professional functions and ensure that the land authority and their policies will be given effect as quickly as possible.

I understand the Deputy tried to bring before the last Government proposals in respect of land restructuring, but apparently they did not accept his proposals. I would be happy to receive submissions from him, and to act more efficiently on them.

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