asked the Minister for Lands how much land has been voluntarily offered to the Forestry Division of his Department in North Kerry; and what is the cause of the delay in acquiring this land.

The total area on offer in North Kerry is 8,677 acres. Agreement on price has been reached in respect of 242 acres and an advanced stage in negotiation has been reached in respect of a further area of 1,566 acres. The remaining cases are in the earlier stages of investigation.

Administrative arrangements to cope with the increased tempo of forestry activity in the Department are in hand.