§ 8. Mr. DONALDasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland the amount of land 2564 acquired in Ireland for settlement of ex-service men; the names of those counties in which satisfactory progress has been made and also those in which the progress is not satisfactory; and the total number of ex-service men at present placed upon the land in Ireland?
§ The CHIEF SECRETARY for IRELAND (Lieut.-Colonel Sir Hamar Greenwood)Up to the present the Estates Commissioners have made offers under the Irish Land (Provision for Sailors and Soldiers) Act, 1919, to purchase some 4,350 acres of untenanted land, and their offers have been accepted in respect of 750 acres, but the proceedings have not yet sufficiently advanced in these cases to take possession of the lands. The Commissioners have also instituted compulsory proceedings in respect of 870 acres for which their offers have been refused, but objections have been filed in these cases, and they will come before the Court for adjudication at an early date. The Estates Commissioners have provided holdings for 74 ex-service men on lands acquired under the Land Purchase Acts. The Local Government Board have made 40 schemes up to the present for the acquisition of 647 acres of land. Seven of these schemes, involving the compulsory acquisition of about 83 acres of land, have been confirmed, and the land will be taken as soon as the necessary legal formalities have been complied with. In addition, the Board have agreed to purchase 100 acres of land, but until questions of title have been decided, they are advised they cannot take possession.