Vol. 235 No. 7
I move:
That a sum not exceeding £343,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1969, for the Salaries and Expenses of the Valuation Office, the Ordnance Survey and certain Minor Services.
I mentioned on another occasion to the Minister the desirability of resurveying many parts of the country particularly those on the outskirts of towns because the Ordnance Survey maps are, in very many instances, entirely out of date. I hope that the increases there are in subheads (a) and (b) of this Vote mean that there will be a further improvement in that respect. I understand the position is that facilities for storage of ordnance maps at the Government Publications offices are such that they are unable to keep any stock other than one copy of each map. That is unsatisfactory and certainly it is unsatisfactory when it means, as I understand it does, a couple of days between ordering and delivery. I suggest there should be some better sales arrangement as regards stocks and some better provision or if that is not possible at the premises concerned that there would be at least arrangements so that there could be deliveries with telephone orders from the Park down to the Government Publications Office in a matter of a half day. To have to wait when maps are required urgently is not satisfactory, as I think the Minister will himself readily admit.
This also includes the Valuation Office. I wonder are we satisfied that the procedures adopted in that Office are the best from an office efficiency point of view. I am thinking particularly of inspections and so forth. I must say again, as I said in relation to the Revenue Commissioners, that I find the greatest courtesy from the officials in that respect but I am not too happy that the procedure laid down by the Commissioner is appropriate to 1968. It might be desirable that this Office would be one of those that will be examined from an O. & M. point of view.
The position in regard to the provision of large-scale maps is that this is done on the basis of selected areas, and the last area to be provided was County Carlow, which was completed in 1965. The revision of Dublin City and County commenced in 1966. County Dublin will be completed early in 1969, and Dublin city is expected to take at least four years from now to complete. In regard to Deputy Sweetman's constituency, I do not think we can hold out much hope of County Kildare for some time yet. I will look into the other point he mentioned about the availability of maps and also the organisation of the Valuation Office. We are not sure how much we have advanced with it but we have had work initiated on the consolidation and perhaps modernisation of the Valuation statutes. The work of the Office could also be looked at in connection with that.
It could be some of the things I have in mind are tied by statute. I quite accept the possibility.
