asked the Minister for Finance if he will state (i) the number of applications received under the rural improvements scheme for the year 1949-1950 from each of the five Connacht counties; (ii) the number of inspections carried out and offers made to the applicants; (iii) the percentage State grant offered in each county; (iv) the number of these works in progress in each county and (v) whether the execution of such work in the counties referred to is now being carried out by the special employment schemes office.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Rural Improvements Schemes.
asked the Minister for Finance if he will state (i) the number of applications received under the rural improvements scheme for the year 1949-50 in Cavan, Monaghan, and Donegal; (ii) the number of inspections carried out, and offers made to the applicants; (iii) the number of these works in progress, and (iv) whether the execution of such works is still entrusted to the county engineer in each of these counties.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to reply to Questions Nos. 14 and 15 together and, as the reply is in tabular form, to have it circulated with the Official Report.
The following are the particulars asked for in respect of the Rural Improvements Scheme in the year 1949/ 50 for the five Connacht counties and the three Ulster counties:—
|
County |
1949/50 |
February, 1951 |
|||
|
No. of applications received |
No. of inspections made |
No. of offers issued |
Percentage State Grant of Offers (average) |
No. of works at present in progress |
|
|
(i) |
(ii) |
(iia) |
(iii) |
(iv) |
|
|
Galway |
85 |
139 |
143 |
77.8 |
19 |
|
Leitrim |
49 |
53 |
41 |
77.3 |
27 |
|
Mayo |
41 |
55 |
27 |
76.5 |
1 |
|
Roscommon |
24 |
46 |
52 |
76.2 |
4 |
|
Sligo |
24 |
32 |
27 |
78.1 |
3 |
|
Cavan |
35 |
39 |
36 |
78.5 |
7 |
|
Donegal |
22 |
22 |
10 |
76.2 |
1 |
|
Monaghan |
18 |
33 |
35 |
77.2 |
5 |
The works are executed under the direct supervision of inspectors of the Special Employment Schemes Office in Counties Galway, Mayo and Roscommon; and under the supervision of the county engineers in Counties Leitrim, Sligo, Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan.
asked the Minister for Finance if he will state the cause of the delay in the inspections of rural improvement scheme applications in County Cavan.
The inspection of rural improvement scheme applications is at present in arrears in County Cavan as well as in other counties due to (a) the inspectorate staff of the Special Employment Schemes Office being under-strength and (b) the fact that this work is to some extent seasonal for the reason that during the winter months the majority of the inspectorate staff must be assigned full time to the duty of supervising the actual carrying out of minor employment schemes and bog development schemes. In the spring and summer a larger number of inspectors are engaged on inspection work in connection with rural improvement schemes.
Will the Parliamentary Secretary say where these inspectors are employed during the winter months in the actual supervision of the execution of works?
In the counties we have taken over up to the present.
What counties?
I do not know that I can give them, off-hand.
He does not know.
There are only two or three of them altogether.
There are more than two or three.
Let us have them.
Question No. 17.
asked the Minister for Finance if he will state the number of inspectors employed on inspecting and reporting upon rural improvement scheme applications in (a) the counties of Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan; (b) in the counties of Galway, Mayo and Roscommon, and (c) in the counties of Kerry, Cork and Clare.
(a) Counties Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan: One inspector part-time. In these counties, as the Deputy is aware, the actual supervision of the minor schemes is dealt with by the county engineers and their staffs.
(b) Counties Galway, Mayo and Roscommon: In these counties, the supervision of the execution of the schemes is dealt with by the inspectors of the Special Employment Schemes Office, and during the winter practically the whole time of 16 inspectors is devoted to this work. Inspections in connection with rural improvements scheme applications are dealt with according as opportunity offers, but the total amount of time devoted to this work during winter is only equivalent to one officer working full time.
(c) Counties Kerry, Cork and Clare: In Counties Kerry and Clare, the actual supervision of schemes is also carried out by Special Employment Schemes Office inspectors. A total of nine inspectors is at present assigned to this group of counties, of whom one is engaged full time on the inspection of rural improvements scheme applications, the remainder being employed almost exclusively on the supervision of the execution of schemes.
Does the Parliamentary Secretary think that it is fair, in a contributory scheme of this nature where the applicants are expected to make a contribution in addition to that made by the State, that those applicants in counties where the schemes are being carried out under the supervision of the county engineer should not have an opportunity of having these works, which are essential to them, gone on with because the inspectors are taken from the counties concerned and put into a few specially selected counties in which the work is being carried out directly by the Department itself?
Such is not the case. If the Deputy will put down a question about the county in which he is most interested he will find that we are less in arrears in that county than in any other of the 26.
Will the Parliamentary Secretary say if the staff of inspectors generally employed in the inspection of schemes all over the country which are carried out through the agency of the county engineer are taken and put into a few specially selected counties because the Office of Public Works is itself responsible for the execution of the work?
In the summer-time, inspections are carried out all over the Twenty-Six Counties. In the counties which we have not taken over, the works are then carried out during the winter months by the county engineers and their staff. Our staff, who have been doing inspection work there, are taken to carry out the work in the counties in which we ourselves are doing the work.