asked the Minister for Local Government if the resolution unanimously adopted by Galway County Council whereby the Council agreed to supply material free for the upkeep of roads which connect two public roads, or stop end roads, provided the ratepayers thereon make application for it and give an undertaking to spread the material under County Council supervision, can be implemented with the sanction of his Department under existing legislation; and, if not, if he will introduce the necessary legislation to enable Galway County Council to assist the ratepayers residing on such roads.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Upkeep of Galway Roads.
57.
If the roads in question are not public roads, the county council have no statutory authority to incur expenditure on their upkeep. Having regard to the provisions of the Local Government Act, 1953, I do not consider that the introduction of further legislation is warranted.
Will the Minister state if Galway County Council declare such roads, as are envisaged in this Question, public roads, can they under existing legislation maintain them on the lines I have incorporated in the Question, and which I originally proposed at a meeting of Galway County Council, that is, that we, the County Council, would supply the material free provided the people living along these roads spread it under county council's supervision?
I might explain that incidentally the resolution in question, apparently passed by Galway County Council, was not forwarded and was withheld pending some further information that those sponsoring the resolution wished to obtain, so that I have not have had before me anything other than this Question and what is incorporated in it. In so far as the Supplementary Question the Deputy has asked is concerned, the question of the expenditure of Road Fund moneys is naturally tied, in the sense that only on public roads, so declared by the local authority, may these moneys be spent.
The question whether, if the council take over certain roads, we in the Department would agree to allow moneys to be spent on the conditions outlined by the Deputy is, I should say in the circumstances, somewhat hypothetical and rather difficult to deal with at the moment. I would like to comment on the general idea that where the people concerned are prepared to do something for themselves, and if it is possible within the framework of our general laws and the pattern of those laws, every encouragement should, and indeed, will be given to them as far as I can give it.
Is the Minister aware that a somewhat similar resolution was passed by Cork County Council?
The question relates to roads in County Galway.
It was to the effect that all roads serving more than three houses should be declared public roads. Would the Minister say what should be a public road?
Might I say that I do not dispute, and anything I have said may not be implied as disputing, what Cork County Council have done, but it is entirely within their own duties, subject to the limitations of the type of road and size of road, to declare those roads as public roads. I do not come into the matter at all.
Where is Deputy Corry?