asked the Minister for Finance if he will take all steps open to him to prevent further coast erosion at the Barrow, Portrane, County Dublin.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Coast Erosion.
139.
Mr. Kenny
No proposal under the Coast Protection Act, 1963, for coast protection works at the Barrow, Portrane, have been received from the local authority.
The Parliamentary Secretary will no doubt be aware that his predecessor visited this area together with representatives of the county council and that an examination of the possibility of providing protection works which are very badly needed was under way. Has the Parliamentary Secretary any word of that investigation?
Mr. Kenny
The Deputy will realise that nothing can be done until a proposal is forwarded to our Office by Dublin County Council.
140.
asked the Minister for Finance if he is aware of the serious situation in which residents of dwellinghouses find themselves due to coast erosion at Poulshone, County Wexford; and if he will give a high priority to immediate remedial works.
Mr. Kenny
A proposal under the Coast Protection Act, 1963, has recently been received from Wexford County Council for coast protection works at Poulshone and it has been listed for examination. I should say that already a very large number of proposals from all round the coast had been awaiting attention. I regret, therefore, that I cannot say when it will be possible to reach the Poulshone proposal in the coast protection programme.
The situation there is very serious. It is only a matter of some yards of sand and those houses will go into the sea. It seems the damage will be very great if something is not done as an emergency measure. Can the Parliamentary Secretary suggest some temporary means of averting this?
Mr. Kenny
I can assure the Deputy that I shall ask the engineers concerned to give this matter a physical examination and if they can justify any expenditure on it I should be very happy to consider it.