asked the Minister for Finance if he will state if the Office of Public Works have yet estimated what will be the cost of completing the lowering of the bed of the Rye river, which floods thousands of acres of land in the vicinity of the village of Kilcock, County Kildare; and whether, in view of the fact that scores of land-holders in this area cannot avail of the land reclamation scheme until the river drainage is completed, he will give this matter his immediate attention.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Drainage of River Rye.
The Commissioners of Public Works have reported to the Minister for Agriculture on the engineering survey of the Rye river made by them on his behalf pursuant to the Land Reclamation Act, 1949.
That answer seems scarcely adequate to the question on the Order Paper, which asks if the Office of Public Works have yet estimated the cost of completing the lowering of the bed of the Rye river. The Parliamentary Secretary says that the Commissioners of Public Works have reported to the Minister for Agriculture on the engineering survey of the Rye river. Can the Parliamentary Secretary give us any information as to what the report sets out and if and when the work will be put in hands?
I have not the figures for that. It has been submitted to the Department of Agriculture.
Is it appropriate, then, that further information should be requested from the Minister for Agriculture?
I expect so.