asked the Minister for Finance if he is aware that a considerable area of arable land has been rendered useless by the action of employees of the Office of Public Works engaged on the drainage of the Feale catchment area through the depositing of spoil removed from the river, and if he is aware that 90 per cent. of the spoil is deposited on one side of the river and only 10 per cent. on the other; further, if he will state whether it is the intention to restore this land affected to a proper degree of fertility when the work is completed and if he will state if it is the intention of his Department to compensate the local farmers for losses suffered during the operation of the scheme; finally, if he will give a direction that the boundary fences interfered with will be replaced in good condition.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Feale Drainage.
In the nature of the works on the Feale catchment drainage scheme the deposition of a considerable amount of spoil has been unavoidable but the suggestion that 90 per cent. has been put on one side of the river is not correct. Normally spoil is placed more or less equally on both banks of a river but sometimes, because of local conditions or in the interests of economy, it may be necessary to put all or most of the spoil on one bank. Every efford is made to reduce to a minimum the interference with land; actual fences, if disturbed, are replaced and before the works are finished spoil heaps are roughly dressed for seeding where this is feasable. This practice is being followed on the Feale scheme.
It is not the practice to pay compensation for such interference as may be caused by the unavoidable deposition of spoil which in course of time become grassed over and merges with the adjoining land. It is, however, open to landowners to claim compensation in accordance with the Arterial Drainage Act, 1945, which provides, inter alia, that regard shall be had to the benefits conferred on the claimant.