asked the Minister for Supplies if he is aware that the people living in the area of Newtownmountkennedy are in a grave position owing to the lack of fuel, as the owners of woods in the area are not prepared to sell trees to the local people; and if he will spare the residents concerned from having to endure fireless homes during the approaching winter, by taking steps to have some of the timber which is marked by the Forestry Department for sale in Dublin retained in the area and made available to the local merchants for sale there.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Fuel Position in Newtownmountkennedy.
The timber to which the Deputy refers would appear to be in private ownership and I am not in a position to take the action suggested. The timber is not marked for sale in Dublin and the owners are at liberty to sell it either locally or elsewhere.
The Minister is not correctly informed because the Forestry Department has been supplying the Dublin Corporation with timber from County Wicklow. The people in this particular area are unable to get even one cwt and, under the Minister's Orders, they are not even allowed to get brushwood from the woods.
The Forestry Department are not cutting any timber in the Newtownmountkennedy area.
They are in the County Wicklow area.
They are.
In Newtownmountkennedy there is no person licensed to sell either turf or timber. The result is that the poor people in that particular area have no means of getting fuel, even brushwood, under the Minister's new Order.
A number of trees in private ownership in the Newtownmountkennedy area have been marked by the Forestry Department as suitable for firewood and they may be sold for firewood by the owners.
That wood has been already purchased by people in Dublin, for sale in Dublin, not in Newtownmountkennedy. That is my complaint.
There is no restriction upon the owners of the timber in respect of the areas to which they may send the timber.
But the position is that the merchants in Dublin have bought the woods in Newtownmountkennedy and there is none for sale in the local area. In the Kilcool area merchants have agreed to place at the disposal of the poor people so many tons per week. In Newtownmountkennedy the position is quite the reverse. The Dublin merchants are buying the wood and bringing it to Dublin.
I do not think it would be practicable to take powers to require the private owners of timber to sell that timber to particular individuals or in particular localities.
I appreciate the Minister's difficulty, but what is the alternative? There is neither turf nor timber in the area and no person has a licence for the sale of turf. The county manager informed me that he has no power to place turf at the disposal of this area and the people there are without fuel.
I think if somebody is willing to accept a fuel merchant's licence in the area we can get him a supply of turf.
There are only two or three merchants, none of whom will accept a licence. All means outside of Government intervention have been resorted to. Representations have been made to the various firms, without success. Now I am appealing to the Minister to make some wood available for these people.