asked the Minister for Finance if he can give the reasons for the delay in carrying out the drainage work on the Erkina, Eglish and Johnston Rivers, and why further surveys will have to be carried out before the scheme can assume a definite shape, the total cost of the preliminary work already carried out, and whether there is any possibility of the work being started during the present year.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - DRAINAGE OF OFFALY RIVERS.
Mr. BOURKE
There has been no avoidable delay in dealing with the proposals under the Arterial Drainage Act, 1925, for the drainage of the Erkina and Eglish and Johnston Rivers. The procedure under the Act is necessarily long, involving much detailed investigation. This scheme is a large one, and further surveys will be necessary in order to ascertain the best and most economical method of treating the rivers so as to obtain the highest return for expenditure, and to afford the landholders to whom the scheme must be submitted the fullest information.
No actual preliminary works on the rivers have yet been carried out.
As soon as a scheme has been settled and an estimate of its cost prepared the facts will be placed before the Department of Finance and the County Council to ascertain whether the free grants necessary to make the scheme economic for the landholders will be available. When this point has been decided, the proposed scheme must be submitted to the occupiers of the lands to vote upon. In the circumstances it cannot at present be stated whether it will be possible to have all the preliminaries completed in time to enable work to be started this year.
Can the Parliamentary Secretary say if a scheme has already been submitted to the Department of Finance arising out of previous surveys and valuations, and will he answer that part of the question which asks him to state the total cost of the preliminary work already carried out?
Mr. BOURKE
There has been no preliminary work carried out. The cost of the actual survey amounts to £267, but there has been no actual work done.
That £267 includes the salaries of the officials and their travelling and subsistence allowances for having done nothing up to the present?