asked the Minister for Justice if he is aware that great inconvenience, together with loss of time and money, has been caused to Tipperary South Riding County Council by the arrangement whereby explosives for quarry work have to be procured through the military station at Templemore, and if he will make arrangements whereby such explosives will be stored by the County Surveyor, or in the alternative, made available through the military station at Clonmel.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - EXPLOSIVES FOR QUARRY WORK.
I am aware that explosives for industrial purposes have recently been transferred from Clonmel to Templemore military station. There is no objection to explosives being stored by the County Surveyor for the Tipperary South Riding provided that magazines or stores are constructed in accordance with the provisions of the Explosive Acts and Regulations.
Is the Minister aware that owing to the change which has been made and the difficulty consequent upon that change of obtaining explosives, and the delay that has occurred, many of the men employed normally by the South Tipperary County Council have been unemployed, in some cases for a week, while they were trying to get the explosives? Will the Minister try to make some arrangement whereby the procuring of explosives will be made more easy for the county council?
I will certainly try to make all the arrangements that can possibly be made to obviate inconvenience of that kind; but such arrangements will have to be within the Acts and regulations by which I am bound in the matter of explosives.
Does the Minister not think that the time has now arrived when the regulations might be relaxed somewhat? Has not the time arrived now when there is not that danger in regard to explosives that there was when the regulations were made?
There were special precautions taken arising out of special conditions here, but the laws and regulations of which I speak in connection with this question are the ordinary laws and regulations with regard to high explosives that existed in the past, and quite apart from any special need for precautions here arising out of the military situation we had two or three years back. I cannot depart from those regulations, but every possible arrangement within those regulations is at present open. There are no special restrictions imposed by me or by the police.
Is the Minister not aware that those special restrictions were imposed by an alien government to repress the popular movement which has now subsided?
They were not; that is quite wrong. They are the same regulations that exist in regard to the custody of high explosives in England and they are for the protection of the public and have no special reference to any kind of political or military situation.
Am I to understand that it is as easy for county councils to obtain explosives now as it was in what might be called the old days before the special regulations were issued?
Yes.