Vol. 186 No. 2
asked the Minister for Local Government if he has examined the report of the Cork County Engineer on the road requirements consequent on the closing down of the South and West Cork railways; and what special grants he will give to bring the roads up to the required standard.
50.
asked the Minister for Local Government whether he has received a copy of the Cork County Engineer's report regarding the liability of the County Council for the proposed road improvement works if the West Cork railway is closed down; and, if so, if he will make a detailed statement on the matter.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 49 and 50 together.
I have received from the Cork County Council a copy of a report by their Acting County Engineer. The report is being examined.
Will the Minister not agree that in the report submitted by the county manager it was stated that in the opinion of the chief technical adviser of the local authority it would take a sum in excess of £2,000,000 to bring the roads to the required standard if the proposal to close the railways will mature? Possibly the Minister for Transport and Power may change his mind but does the Minister not think that that is a formidable figure for Cork County Council?
Perhaps the people of West Cork would change their minds and use the railways.
Deputy Murphy is making an argument, not asking a question.
I cannot, obviously, give an answer to all these various points raised by Deputy Murphy at this stage because of the fact that the report submitted is still under consideration and, being of a rather lengthy nature and taking in many technical matters, it would take a considerable time fully to comprehend what is contained in it.
Will the railways be closed in the meantime?
In the meantime may I say that quotations by the Deputy and people in Cork of these rather staggering figures are misleading in this respect—and I do not mean any reflection on the Deputy—that to attribute the cost of bringing roads up to required standard to the closing of the railways is not really playing ball. If we were to look at any roads in any county and calculate the standard to which we wanted them brought and the amount of money required to bring them to that desirable standard, we could all quote £2,000,000 and £3,000,000 per county.
Will the Minister not agree that the standard mentioned in the report is the standard that would be required to carry the extra two buses and 15 lorries that the Minister for Transport and Power told us about down in Cork?
Can we take it that the standard that applied in Donegal will be the standard that will be necessary in Cork and if so, seeing that a grant of £375,000 was provided in a county which lost only 598 miles, would the Minister consider that a comparable grant involving a mileage of 1,060 miles should be made available for the County Cork?
Possibly the Deputy is going to put these buses on the roads and keep them going around and around Cork.
Now we appreciate the seriousness of the situation.
Would the Minister not consider that it would be a wiser proposition to keep the railways going rather than to spend £375,000 for roads?
If the railway wagons will not pay, the bandwagons will pay.
And the new roof on Bandon station will pay.
There is plenty of room on the bandwagon.
How long will it take the Minister to consider the report?
As long as it took him to consider the Donegal one.
Question No. 51.
The Minister's decision will have a direct bearing on our discussion here next Thursday.
I have called Question No. 51. The Deputy will resume his seat.
It will have a direct bearing on our discussion here next Thursday.
The Deputy will resume his seat.
