asked the Minister for Lands when the Land Commission will divide the Rossmore estate, County Monaghan, which they acquired a long time ago.

113.

asked the Minister for Lands if the Land Commission will hasten the completion of the sale of a portion of land which the Monaghan County Council are purchasing from them on the Rossmore estate, Monaghan, as the Council require the land to erect dwellings for itinerants.

With your permission, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 112 and 113 together.

This 552-acre property was taken over by the Land Commission in January, 1966, under an agreement for temporary letting pending clearance of the owners' title and final vesting of the lands. I understand that originating documentary evidence of title was lodged in the Land Commission a few months ago and is at present under investigation between their examiners and the estate solicitors.

An area of some 200 acres has already been disposed of on a temporary basis, mainly for afforestation purposes. Arrangements will be made for allotment of the balance of the lands—about 350 acres—as soon as the legal requirements involved in the closing of the purchase of the estate have been finally completed. Plans already approved for part of this area provide for the allotment to Monaghan County Council of a site of 26 acres for an itinerants' camp and of 27 acres to the Urban District Court for industrial development purposes.

Did the Minister say it is proposed to give a certain portion of this land over for an itinerant camp?

What I said was that plans already approved for part of this area provide for the allotment to Monaghan County Council of a site of 26 acres for an itinerant camp.

The Minister surely is well aware that there are a number of smallholders in that area who are hoping to get additional land on to their holdings?

Of course, but there are 350 acres.

Has the Minister made up his mind what proportion will be given to those people?

Not yet. The legal requirements have not been completed.

The Minister definitely stated that two portions have been decided in a certain way.

I did not state specific portions. What I said was that the plans had already been approved for part of this area for allotment to Monaghan County Council for an itinerant camp.

Assuming that this definitely will be done, is it not fair to ask that the remainder of the estate should be allocated as quickly as possible to those people who are in need of additional land?

It certainly will.

I am not blaming the present Minister, as he is only recently in the Department, but surely, in view of the fact that it has taken so long to do anything about this, could the Minister not now tell us if this will be allocated in a month or two?

The land cannot be allotted until the legal formalities are completed. At the moment the Land Commission are in possession of this land on a temporary letting basis only. The documentary evidence of title was lodged with the Land Commission only a few months ago so, even if they had their plans ready, they could not have allotted the land before now.

I assume the Land Commission do not wait until all the formalities are completed before they decide what way land will be allotted. The Minister says that two portions are to be allocated in a certain way. Would it not be possible to say within six months when this land will be allotted to those people? They have been waiting for quite a considerable time in the hope of getting some additional land for their holdings.

The Deputy can be assured it will be done as quickly as possible and that it is easier to make those particular allocations.

I do not accept that. It should be possible to say when those people will get the land.

The Land Commission has to investigate the cases of all the uneconomic landholders within the policy distance first.

The Land Commission know for a long time. They are three or four years looking after this.

They took this over on a temporary letting basis only in 1966.

They have been taking statements from local people for the last three or four years.

This is done only before a general election.