asked the Minister for Finance if he can state whether the Commissioners of Public Works have yet considered the resolution of the Kildare County Council, passed on the 14th October, 1925, requesting the Commissioners to take the necessary proceedings under the Arterial Drainage Act, 1925, for the drainage of the Ryewater, Maynooth, Martinstown, and Greise rivers, and whether, in view of the large numbers of unemployed in those areas, he will instruct the Commissioners to have the works started as soon as possible.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - DRAINAGE OF KILDARE RIVERS.
The Commissioners for Public Works having considered the Petitions in respect of the Martinstown and Maynooth river Drainage Schemes together with the Kildare County Council's resolutions and their Inspector's reports, decided not to proceed with either of these schemes, the former because the Scheme was too small to be usefully carried out under the Act of 1925 and the latter because the cost appeared to be out of all proportion to the benefit likely to accrue. These decisions were communicated to the County Council on the 11th March last and 1st November, respectively, in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
It was decided to postpone investigation of the Greise River proposal pending developments in connection with the Barrow Scheme, which may affect it, and the County Council was so informed on the 11th October.
On receipt of their Engineer's preliminary report on the Ryewater River Scheme, it was decided to have the district inspected by a Land Valuer, and his report is now being considered.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that, owing to the recent heavy rains, there is much flooding along the banks of the Greise and can he not see his way to instruct the Board of Works to carry out some preliminary work which would relieve the people of that area of this flooding which takes place regularly? I raised this matter twelve or eighteen months ago and nothing has been done.
The Greise is a tributary of the Barrow, and I think the main river should be dealt with before the tributaries. However, I shall have inquiries made to see if anything can be done to prevent flooding on the Greise.
I am told by people resident in the locality that the drainage of this river has nothing whatever to do with the Barrow—that it could be drained at present, and that the drainage would be a considerable benefit to the lands adjoining.
I am afraid my engineers would not agree with that.