asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health whether he is aware that a grant of £10,000 was made available to the Mayo County Council in the year 1926 for the purpose of constructing a road from the town of Westport, through the Sligo demesne, to Westport Quay; that plans, specifications, maps, etc., were lodged with the Department of Local Government and Public Health by the Westport Urban Council for the construction of that road and the necessary statutory resolutions were passed by the Mayo County Council; that sanction has been withheld, and if he will now state why the required sanction was withheld, and if the £10,000 is still available for the carrying out of that work.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Grant for Road Work in Mayo.
A sum of £64,292 was allocated to Mayo County Council in April, 1927, out of the £2,000,000 National Road Scheme (Second Section) and of this amount a sum of £10,000 was provisionally set aside for the reconstruction of the existing road (known as the Northern Route) through the Westport demesne. Plans, specifications and other details of the proposed works, as approved by the Mayo County Council and the Westport Urban District Council, were received by the Department. The local authorities concerned subsequently intimated that they would consider it preferable to have the road scheme undertaken along what was known as the Southern Route. This route could not be acquired from the owner by agreement, and it would, therefore, be necessary for the local authorities to proceed to acquire the lands compulsorily, a procedure at once costly and doubtful of results favourable to the local authorities. Apart from the legal difficulties, the cost of making the Southern Route available as a public road is estimated to be considerably higher than that of the Northern Route. Accordingly the matter was reconsidered by the County Council, who decided, with the approval of the Department, to use the £10,000 for the improvement of other sections of national roads.