Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 20 Oct 1998

Vol. 495 No. 4

Written Answers. - Commonage Division.

Gerry Reynolds

Ceist:

150 Mr. G. Reynolds asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the steps, if any, his Department is taking to solve a problem which has arisen in some areas of shared commonage where an individual herdowner has claimed commonage rights in excess of his entitlement in proportion to his farm size and is causing undue hardship to all commonage users whose area aid appears to be in order. [20337/98]

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mr. Walsh)

The problem with commonage claims is due to the shareholders cumulatively claiming an area in excess of the gross area of the commonage.

Where it is clear that the overclaim is attributable to one or two shareholders they are queried and the area aid applications of the remaining shareholders are cleared.

However, where the shareholders causing the overclaim are not readily identifiable, it is necessary to take the matter up with all the applicant shareholders.