asked the Minister for Local Government if he will establish a committee to inquire into and examine the precautions taken by local authorities to prevent accidents to persons going over river and canal banks, quaysides, etc., along or near public highways, the adequacy of the safeguards provided, and the liability for providing these, and to make recommendations for the introduction of adequate safety measures and the liability for providing and financing them for the future.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Precautions Against River and Canal Accidents.
48.
Road authorities have been advised in 1956, and again late in 1962, that they should review the roads under their control in regard to hazards of this type, for example, where a public road runs along a bog rampart or beside a canal, and, where it is feasible to do so, to mark the road edge of dangerous stretches with a specified type of reflectorised marker. Where accidents of this type are likely to occur at docks, wharves and quays, local authorities generally have no right to interfere with access to the working portion of the quayside. It is a matter for the authority responsible for the harbour or wharf, not the local authority, to survey any dangerous site under their control and to decide, in the light of the use made of the place and the traffic hazard it presents, what steps to take. I have no doubt that the appropriate local authority will co-operate in any such examination with the harbour or other authority involved. More positive results are likely to ensue from particular investigations of that kind than from a general examination, and I am aware that such particular investigations have been made and preventive measures taken in individual cases.
Question No. 49 postponed.