asked the Minister for External Affairs if the Government have decided to approve of statutory corporations or bodies such as the Erne Drainage Board and the Derry and Foyle Harbour Commissioners (which operate under pre-Treaty legislation and/or whose personnel is a mixture of Saorstát and non-Saorstát representatives) continuing to exercise authority over and carry out duties in respect of Saorstát property; if any investigation has been made of the constitutional position of such corporations and bodies, and whether it is intended they will continue to function without inter-Governmental agreements and legislation implementing same.
Ceisteanna.—Questions. Oral Answers. - Control of Saorstát Property.
The question as to the position of the statutory corporations and bodies to which the Deputy's question refers has, as the Deputy is aware, occupied the attention of the Departments concerned over a long period. These statutory corporations and bodies fall into two groups, illustrated, respectively, by the examples given in the Deputy's question, namely, the Erne Drainage Board and the Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners. As regards bodies belonging to the first group and still functioning, such administrative difficulties as have arisen from time to time have been dealt with, as far as possible, by co-operation between the two Governments. With regard to bodies belonging to the second group, namely, the Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners and the Carlingford Lough Commissioners, the position was the subject of discussions with the British Government and the Government of Northern Ireland in the year 1928, but no decision was reached.
Detailed investigations as to the position with regard to all the statutory corporations and bodies referred to in the Deputy's question are at present taking place in the Departments concerned.
Do I understand that the handing over of the territory in question was as a result of negotiations between the two Governments? I gathered from the President's reply that these matters were dealt with as a result of negotiations between the two Governments. Is the handing over of this territory the result?
I said that there were administrative difficulties. There were no administrative difficulties in those to which the Deputy referred.
Has the President ascertained who has been appointed as the Cavan representative on the Erne Drainage Board?
I am afraid I will have to ask the Deputy to ask that question again. Was the Deputy not written to in the matter?
Not yet.