Vol. 53 No. 6
I beg to move:—
Go ndeontar suim ná raghaidh thar £3,585 chun slánuithe na suime is gá chun íoctha an Mhuirir a thiocfaidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na bliana dar críoch an 31adh lá de Mhárta, 1935, chun Costaisí i dtaobh Longlainne Inis Sionnach.
That a sum not exceeding £3,585 be granted to complete the sum necessary to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1935, for Expenses in connection with Haulbowline Dockyard.
Can the Minister give me a little information as to what the purpose of this expenditure is, or what Haulbowline Dockyard is now used for?
The purpose of the expenditure is to maintain, so far as possible, the property which is in existence at Haulbowline and which has been transferred to the Government of the Saorstát.
Is there any object in maintaining the property?
Oh, yes. There is quite a lot of valuable property there. There is a considerable number of houses. Parts of the dockyard are let to a firm of ship breakers, and the western part of the island contains stone warehouses, possibly some 70 houses, some barrack buildings and five oil tanks, three large and two small, with a total capacity of 17,000 tons of heavy oil and 14,000 tons of petrol.
That is the capacity?
During 1931 a lease of the oil tank installation was made to a company known as the Cork Harbour Oil Wharves, Ltd., whose business it is to import oil and petrol in bulk to Haulbowline and deliver it from there in smaller ships to ports in Ireland and Great Britain. The total estimate is for £5,385, against £3,830 for last year.
The Minister mentioned a large number of houses. What are they used for at the moment?
If the Deputy puts that question to the occupiers he will realise that they value them very greatly. They are all of them occupied.
