asked the Minister for Finance if he will arrange to have a survey made of the River Blackwater in Counties Kildare and Meath with a view to having the sharps and other obstructions removed from the river.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Survey of Kildare-Meath River.
The powers of the Commissioners of Public Works to carry out drainage works are derived from the Arterial Drainage Act, 1945, which contemplates the execution of schemes on a catchment area basis and not of piecemeal drainage works, such as are mentioned in the Deputy's question. The removal of sharps and other obstructions from the River Blackwater would be done by the commissioners under that Act only as part of a comprehensive scheme for the entire River Boyne catchment. It is not, accordingly, proposed to arrange for the survey of the River Blackwater suggested by the Deputy.