asked the Minister for Lands if he will state (a) the amount of land acquired by the Land Commission in County Waterford during 1948 and 1949; (b) the amount allocated for each of those years, and (c) whether it is proposed to acquire further land during 1950; and, if so, the acreage to be so acquired.

No lands were acquired in County Waterford during the years 1947/48 and 1948/49 while the area allotted in that period was 26 acres. Proceedings have been instituted in respect of a total area of 1,431 acres, but it is not possible to state when or how much of that area will be acquired.

asked the Minister for Lands if he will state the circumstances under which lands at Ballinacourty, Dungarvan, County Waterford, were granted to the Dungarvan golf club; and if he will recommend to the Land Commission the desirability of acquiring the lands at the end of the lease with a view to having them divided among suitable landless men from the district to enable them to engage in the growing of early potatoes for which Ballinacourty rivals Rush, County Dublin.

As the Land Commission have no interest in the lands in question and are not parties to the lease to the golf club, I am not in a position to supply the information required. I understand that the lease is not due to expire for some years, but, in any event, the Land Commission have decided not to acquire the lands.

asked the Minister for Lands if he will state whether the Land Commission intend to acquire Mr. Patrick Naughton's non-residential farm situated at Cloonbricka, Ballinamore Br., County Galway, for the purpose of bringing holdings in the locality up to an economic level, and, if so, when.

A decision has not yet been reached in this case.

asked the Minister for Lands if he will state what steps have been taken by the Land Commission to have the bog in Bellew's Estate, County Galway, divided to satisfy the needs of applicants for turbary in the locality.

The Land Commission are having inquiries made in this case.

asked the Minister for Lands whether the Land Commission has now decided to acquire the lands of the Kennedy Estate, Castleblake, Rosegreen, Fethard, now in the possession of a Mr. Thomas Rowan, for the relief of local congestion.

The Land Commission have decided not to take any action for the present for the acquisition of these lands.

Will the Minister state the reason why the Land Commission changed their mind from a previous decision of theirs that it was a suitable farm to acquire for division among local congests?

The Land Commission are not obliged to give reasons for any decisions they take, as the Deputy should know.

There is a change of front, anyhow.

asked the Minister for Lands if he will state whether the Land Commission have recently acquired any farms in County Wexford for division, for the benefit of conacre farmers and landless men; and, if so, in what areas.

The Land Commission did not acquire any lands recently in County Wexford.

asked the Minister for Lands if he will state whether the Land Commission propose to acquire any of the lands known as the Castlemaggarrett demesne, Ballindine district, County Mayo.

The Land Commission have no proceedings for the acquisition of these lands.

asked the Minister for Lands if the question of the acquisition of land on the estate of Mr. James Boyle, County Waterford, Record No. V.13029, for the purpose of providing a sports field and park for the district has now been considered, and, if so, whether he will state what decision has been arrived at.

A decision has not yet been reached in this matter.

Is the Minister aware that I put down a similar question last June 12 months and I got the same type of reply—and that is 18 months ago? It is rather a long time.

It seems the Land Commission got into a bad habit, Deputy, during the past 16 years.

asked the Minister for Lands if he will state the considerations which induced the Land Commission to acquire the lands of Mrs. O'Gorman, a widow, at Birdhill, which she needs for the support of her five children, when there are other extensive lands in the vicinity which could be acquired.

The lands in question were acquired by the Land Commission in accordance with their statutory functions, for the relief of congestion. This estate comprises an area of 105 acres and the former owner also held an area of 160 acres. Two adjoining estates are the subject of acquisition proceedings and the Land Commission are not aware of any other estates in the area which would be suitable for their purposes.