asked the Minister for Agriculture whether a decision has been reached in regard to the provision of improved landing facilities at Portaleen, County Donegal.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Portaleen Pier.
asked the Minister for Agriculture whether his Department has recently received from the Commissioners of Public Works a report on Portaleen pier, County Donegal, and, if so, if he will state the nature of such report, and when it is proposed to proceed with the construction of a new pier and shelter at this very important fishing centre.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 25 and 26 together.
The main proposal put forward by local interests for the improvement of the landing place at Portaleen, County Donegal, has been the construction of a dock basin. The Office of Public Works carried out a close survey of the site in 1953 and came to the conclusion that the estimated cost of the cheapest feasible scheme of the kind would be £250,000 and that a full harbour of refuge would cost £400,000. The Donegal County Council were informed by my Department on 18th January, 1954, that a case could not be made for incurring expenditure of this order at Portaleen and a smaller scheme, limited to the provision of shipping, lifting and storage facilities in the best form practicable, was proposed instead for the council's preliminary consideration. The Donegal county engineer was of opinion that adequate shelter in a revised form could be provided at appreciably lower cost than that estimated by the Office of Public Works and undertook in February, 1954, to furnish details of the plan he had in mind. Such details having been received on 16th June, 1955, in my Department were transmitted for examination by the Office of Public Works by whom certain clarification of the details was required from the county engineer before proceeding further with consideration of his proposal. The necessary clarification was not completed by the council until 17th September, 1956, and I am now advised by the Commissioners of Public Works that, following evaluation of the material so supplied, the estimated cost of the county engineer's proposal, when due allowance had been made for all relevant factors, cannot be measured at less than £240,000.
I regret that, like my predecessor, I am unable to recommend that expenditure of this order should be incurred to improve the landing place at Portaleen and I have no alternative but to advise the Donegal County Council accordingly.
Might I ask the Minister to have this matter reviewed by the officers of his Department in view of the fact that the county engineer who originally drew up and drafted this scheme on which the Minister has now received a report from the Office of Public Works estimated, to the best of his ability at the time, that this job would not cost a quarter of the figure now mentioned?
That is not a question. The Deputy is giving information.
I am asking the Minister about the report and I think it is relevant that this point should be brought to light. Furthermore, in view of his reply, will the Minister have that investigation carried out and, in having it carried out, may I ask if he will have due regard to the fact that no engineer employed by the Office of Public Works can ever, in any case, take a chance, for the simple reason that there is nothing to be gained by doing a good job if there is the slightest danger of failure? This is a job which must be done.
All Donegal Deputies— of whom I was one for many years— have sought to remedy the situation at Portaleen. I have every desire to improve the accommodation of fishermen of that port. I know of no other source to which I can go for information of this kind except the Board of Works. They tell me that the county engineer's scheme cannot cost less than £240,000. In conscience I cannot recommend to Dáil Éireann that that sum should be spent on Portaleen Harbour. If the Deputy can suggest to me any other source from which I can get a reliable estimate of the cost, he can give it to me on a halfpenny postcard and if there is anything practicable in it he can depend on me.
I am not allowing any further supplementary questions on this matter. Deputies who have questions at the end of the Question Paper have as much right to have their questions answered as those with questions at the top of the paper.
May I ask a question on No. 25?
That question has been passed.
I took Questions Nos. 24, 25 and 26 together.
Will the Ceann Comhairle permit me to ask the question?
Yes.
I maintain that my question, Question No. 25, was not answered by the Minister. The reply was that the scheme submitted by the county engineer has been turned down. When was that notification conveyed to the Donegal County Council? Has the Minister under consideration any plan for the improvement of landing facilities?
Certainly, and if I can find any plan within the range of practicable possibility I shall be very happy to recommend it to the local authorities and the appropriate quarter.