asked the Minister for Finance whether he is aware that the Commissioners of Public Works submitted proposals for the drainage of the River Robe to the Mayo County Council over four years ago, that the County Council agreed to same and gave the required guarantee, viz.: Six per cent. of the total cost, and passed the necessary statutory resolutions required by the 1925 Drainage Act, at their meeting in May, 1928, and if he will now state what steps were taken by the Commissioners since May, 1928, to prepare a scheme and have the drainage carried out.
Written Answers. - Drainage of River Robe.
The Commissioners of Public Works having received petitions from the Mayo County Council in respect of tributaries to, and the upper reaches of, the River Robe, submitted their proposals in regard to the drainage of the entire river and tributaries to the Mayo County Council in April, 1928, and were notified of the Council's concurrence in September, 1928. In November, 1928, the County Council were informed of the necessity for a further petition to cover the existing Lough Mask and River Robe Drainage District, and this was received by the Commissioners in June, 1929.
A detailed engineering survey of the whole district was put in hands and the report was available in February, 1930. It will be appreciated that this inspection necessarily occupied considerable time on account of the mass of detailed information which had to be collected. A detailed valuation of the affected lands had also to be made, on which some of the Commissioners' valuation staff have been engaged since March last. This valuation involved the assessment of the estimated increase in value for each individual holding and was consequently a tedious operation. The final reports on the valuation were received in the early part of the present month.
The Commissioners are now carefully considering all these reports and when a decision has been reached will communicate with the County Council. No undue delay will be allowed in the investigation of the possibility of proceeding with a drainage scheme for the district.