asked the Minister for Finance if, as a result of a public inquiry held last July into the need of a water supply for Kinsale, a grant of £8,000 has been sanctioned towards the cost of the scheme, and, if so, whether he will state:—(a) the date on which such grant was agreed to by his Department; (b) the date on which this decision was conveyed to the Local Government Department, and whether he is aware that the decision was communicated by his Department to certain members of the Government Party before it was made known to the Local Government Department or the chairman or engineer or town clerk of the Urban District Council of Kinsale; and whether it was with his sanction that this decision was so communicated prematurely.
Written Answers. - Kinsale Water Supply.
By minute of the 4th November, my Department informed the Department of Local Government and Public Health that a grant of £8,000 was approved towards the cost of the water supply scheme at Kinsale. In accordance with the usual practice a copy of the minute was sent on the same day to the Parliamentary Secretary, who had recommended the grant. On the 8th ultimo the Parliamentary Secretary, in reply to enquiries on the subject from certain Cork Deputies, informed them that a grant had been approved.
It is understood that information of this kind has been given by the Parliamentary Secretary's office in many dozens of cases to Deputies of all Parties as a much more desirable alternative to enquiries made by means of Parliamentary questions. Such information has been given in the same way to the Deputy himself. Every possible means is used in the Parliamentary Secretary's office to prevent employment grants being used for political advantage and the office has no knowledge that the information given in this instance was so used.