asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state the cause of the delay in issuing payments to the Sligo Harbour Board in respect of repairs carried out to the harbour.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Sligo Harbour Repairs.
A grant of £47,000 or 70 per cent. of the total cost, whichever shall be the greater, is being made from State funds towards the works at Sligo Harbour. An agreement entered into with the Sligo Harbour Commissioners provides that the balance of the cost of the works shall be paid by the harbour authority in such manner as the Minister for Industry and Commerce may direct.
The Sligo County Council have undertaken to lend to the harbour authority the amount required to meet the local contribution. Payments amounting to £25,532 have already been made from the State grant, and amounts totalling £9,527 from the local contribution. There has been no delay in meeting the payments due under the State grant. There has been some delay in meeting the local contribution, due, I understand, to the need to comply with the requirements of borrowing from the Local Loans Fund.
Is the Minister aware that the secretary of the Sligo Harbour Board informed me that there was considerable delay on the part of the Minister's Department in issuing payments?
I think the Deputy must be completely misinformed in this matter. Every payment was made on the due date and, from the reports I have seen in the local Press of discussions of the harbour authority, there has been no suggestion of delay on the part of the Department.
That is my information.
Is the Minister aware that the delay may be due to the attitude of certain members of the council? As a member of the harbour board, I say that there has been no delay whatever on the part of the Department in the payments to the harbour board.