148 Mr. Enright asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the reason a person who is subdividing land by selling in excess of one hectare of his property has to apply for Land Commission consent to subdivision; if the Minister has the power to refuse such a consent to subdivision under section 12 of the Land Act, 1984; if the Minister has such power to refuse consent, the grounds on which he has power to refuse such consent; if there has been any such refusal to Land Commission consent to subdivision under section 12 of the Land Act, 1984 in the past five years; and if an application for consent under section 12 is a formality and an unnecessary procedure. [29605/01]

Provisions for the control of letting, subletting and subdivision of agricultural holdings are laid down in section 3 of the Land Act, 1927, section 6 of the Land Act, 1946, and section 12 of the Land Act, 1965. Consent to letting, subletting, and subdivision was formerly granted by the Land Commission and is now granted by the Minister, pursuant to the Land Commission (Dissolution) Act, 1992.