asked the Minister for Local Government if he proposes to bring the Local Authorities (Works) Act again into operation or introducing an amending Bill.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Local Authorities (Works) Act.
47.
The Local Authorities (Works) Act, 1949, has not been repealed. An amending Bill is not contemplated.
Will the Minister not agree that when he answered a similar question in this House some time within the past two years, he indicated that the Board of Works were to operate a scheme similar to that operated by the local authorities under the Local Authorities (Works) Act? Is he now aware that this scheme of his has never materialised and that the information he then gave the House was misleading? That is the only conclusion one can reach.
I think it is agreed that the Act has never been repealed; it has been suspended.
No.
The operation of it?
No.
Are any moneys being made available under it?
From what source?
Any source.
I can only answer for my Department.
There are none?
None.
It is suspended.
It is not suspended.
What about the legislation the Minister said the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance was going to introduce? He referred to it in a debate.
In reply to the two points raised by the Deputies, I did not, in the first instance, say the Board of Works were going to operate a scheme similar to the Local Authorities (Works) Act. Part of what was usefully done under the Local Authorities (Works) Act was to be considered by the Board of Works. No legislation, so far as I know, is necessary in order that certain of these works should be carried out. The Deputy has answered the question himself in that it is the Board of Works who now can tell what has been done and is being done under that heading.
A Deputy
Nothing has been done.
Order. No. 48.