asked the Minister for Agriculture whether, in view of the abolition of the double byre grant for cow houses, he will sanction a six inch wall instead of the nine inch wall at present required in the scheme.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Double Byre Grants.
For safety in construction, it is not considered advisable to specify a minimum width less than nine inches for brick or concrete walls in cow byres under the farm buildings scheme.
Has the Minister received representations from the Monaghan County Committee of Agriculture in this sense?
I am not aware that such representations have been received in the Department but cases have come to my notice where the specification was departed from in a few instances in other parts of the country. I know what the general attitude of the Department has been towards that matter. I must confess that, as a layman in such questions, I agree with the official approach to the insistence upon the nine inch wall.
These grants constitute, on the single grant basis, a very modest contribution to the total cost. Does the Minister think it going a little far, if the man who pays 5/6ths of the cost out of his own pocket and feels that a six inch wall is sufficient, to stipulate, because the Department is paying 1/6th of the cost, that he must conform with a standard which he thinks far in excess of the minimum required?
I think it is perfectly natural whatever percentage of the total cost the grant may represent, to have stipulations of some kind. I think we all have some experience of what a nine inch wall as against a six inch wall is. We all know that in certain cases it might be defensible and reasonably safe to use a six inch wall but in the construction of a cow byre— a sort of double line cow byre—where you would have a fairly wide roof, as one who does not claim to have any particular knowledge of this, I would regard a six inch wall as a bad business. I do not think it is unreasonable, even in the circumstances mentioned by the Deputy, to have such a stipulation as is there already.
That is in respect of a double line byre, but would the Minister consider reviewing the requirement where a single line byre with a correspondingly narrow roof is in contemplation?
I do not regard it as a good proposition even in the case of a single line byre. I do not think it would be right to alter the stipulation because it would tend to the construction of that particular type as against the other type. The difference cannot be so great. I think the lowering of the standard would not be justified no matter from what angle you would approach it.