Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 7 Jun 1973

Vol. 266 No. 1

Committee on Finance. - Vote 8: Public Works and Buildings (Resumed).

Debate resumed on the following motion:

That a sum not exceeding £17,067,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1974, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of Public Works; for expenditure in respect of public buildings; for the maintenance of certain parks and public works; for the execution and maintenance of drainage and other engineering works; for expenditure arising from damage to the property of External Governments; and for payment of certain grants-in-aid.

—(Minister for Local Government).

Mr. Callanan

My first duty is to congratulate Deputy Henry Kenny on his appointment as Parliamentary Secretary. Of all the appointments made in the new Government there was no more popular appointment than that of Deputy Kenny and I wish him many years of success in his new office. I say this most sincerely.

I should like to make a few comments on the Parliamentary Secretary's speech. I am pleased by the reference to the provision of accommodation for Government Departments. It is well-known that various sections of a Department can be located in rented offices all over the city. It would be better to have all sections of one Department under one roof.

There was very little in the Parliamentary Secretary's speech about the West of Ireland. I am glad, however, that he referred to Portumna Bridge. This is a very important bridge. The Parliamentary Secretary also mentioned the extension of the quay there. The Parliamentary Secretary also referred to drainage. I see that provision is made for an increase of £19,000. Most of that £19,000 will be absorbed by extra costs. Before we entered the EEC we heard that substantial moneys would be forthcoming for regional development. We heard that much money was to be expended on drainage in the West of Ireland. The river Shannon is not mentioned in the Parliamentary Secretary's brief. We should be fair and if the Shannon is not to be drained that should be clearly stated. Then we would not have public meetings and people asking: "What happened the Shannon?".

Years ago experts were brought from America. They reported that the Shannon could not be drained but that it would have to be backed. Surveys have been conducted since then and still nothing has happened about the drainage of the Shannon. I am concerned about the drainage of four rivers—the Shannon, the Suck, Dromcollogher river and the Fergus. These rivers are of vital importance to the farming community. There are many small farmers in the areas around them. The Dromcollogher river was a subject of a Parliamentary Question yesterday. About 20 years ago, in the early days of Macra na Feirme, an engineer was paid by the young farmers to do a survey on the amount of land under water as a result of the overflowing of the banks of the Dromcollogher river. The report was submitted to the Office of Public Works. Surveys were carried out by their engineers and their reports corresponded with the reports of the young farmers' engineer.

I am not blaming the present occupant of the Parliamentary Secretary's office about this but it has been said that some reports are still awaited. People who come to Dublin on deputations should get straight answers about their problems. They should be told whether schemes in relation to Shannon drainage have been abandoned. The Shannon is very important to the people of the west. The Suck, the Dromcollogher river and the Fergus are also very important. The Parliamentary Secretary has told us about the Dromcollogher river, but we have not heard anything about the other rivers.

I am worried about the small amount of attention given to drainage in the Minister's brief. The amount of money mentioned is only £19,000 greater than last year. This could be absorbed easily by extra costs. I was astonished to learn recently that there was a feeling in the EEC that no more drainage of land in the west of Ireland should be done. If this is so, it could have serious repercussions on the farmers in the west. We want to make their farms viable and we cannot drain and reclaim land without help. If we cannot get money we can forget all about the west. It is all very well to say that industry will expand. Moving a number of people from the land to industry will not assist the expansion of industry at a rapid rate. The idea we had was that we could develop a big area of land which is now unproductive but if drainage is not carried out properly this will be impossible.

The Parliamentary Secretary might deal with this point when replying. Can we have our share of the Brussels cake for drainage? We could not have got all the votes we did in support of EEC entry if we had not felt that money for drainage would be forthcoming from the EEC. Money for drainage is a top priority.

Minor drainage schemes have been carried out along some of our rivers, but it was found that we could not do anything under these local employments schemes because the levels of the outlets were wrong. Land reclamation is held up because the outlets are not clear. Major drainage schemes are looked after by the Office of Public Works and minor drainage works are looked after by the county councils, but the schemes in between these two categories are "nobody's darlings". Regulations are laid down about local employments schemes. If the estimate for a particular job is over a certain figure one is told that it is too big for the local employments schemes, but at the same time it may be too small for the Office of Public Works scheme. In one particular case 20 farmers were involved in a particular scheme. The land project officials must be consulted before a job is carried out. Perhaps the "7 Days" team could examine this proposal to find out who should look after the 20 farmers involved. The man who did the survey for the local employments scheme estimated the cost at £X. Others said that the drains were not good enough for land project work along the river. The scheme was turned down. On various occasions we submitted plans to the Department of Local Government. The farmers' scheme was said to be a minor drainage scheme with some modifications in it. The Department of Local Government deal with some schemes while the Office of Public Works deal with other schemes. The Parliamentary Secretary might be able to tell us what schemes are too costly to come under the local employments scheme.

I am in favour of the preservation of national monuments. I will say no more on it because I have said before that I will not be guilty of repetition.

I compliment the Office of Public Works for having commenced the building of offices in Castlebar and Athlone for the decentralisation of the Departments of Education and Lands. The Parliamentary Secretary will have the honour of bringing the Department of Lands to Castlebar.

Everybody is in favour of establishing schools for disabled children. Anyone with a kind nature must welcome such schools.

I hope that the remarks I made about drainage will be examined carefully because I am perturbed about the situation in the West of Ireland. Having heard the Parliamentary Secretary I wonder will any serious look be taken in Europe at the regional development necessary in the west of Ireland?

Mr. Finn

Drainage is a first priority in my county at present, the drainage of the Corrib, the Robe, the Mask and the Lung. The drainage of the Shannon has been talked about for the past 10 or 15 years by various Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries but nothing has been done. I would not be so interested in the drainage of the Shannon if it were not for the way it affects the Lung in the east of my county. There are thousands of acres of land flooded there because the Shannon has not been drained. I am sorry that in this Estimate there is no mention of the Lung. Thousands of farmers in that area have to go out year after year and buy expensive artificial manures and have them all washed away. From the Galway boundary almost to Ballyhaunis there is the finest virgin land to be found in this country. We have land in the south of Mayo to equal any in Ireland. Now that we have entered Europe land is so valuable that 10 or 15 acres properly drained and developed means quite an income to a farmer each year. I am sorry that no allocation has been made to County Mayo. I heard the former Parliamentary Secretary, Deputy Lemass, last year mention a cost benefit survey. I am sure the present Parliamentary Secretary could not do anything until this report came out. This is what he is waiting for. I should like to know what will be the result of this cost benefit survey.

We had an extensive drainage scheme in County Mayo, the drainage of the Moy. I am sorry to have to say that millions of pounds were wasted there. If the arterial drainage system was tackled properly there would not be a drain in County Mayo that could not have been dealt with with the amount of money spent on the Moy. It cost the office of Public Works from £500 to £1,000 to build a bridge over a little drain dividing a man's farm. This was a farce and a complete waste of money. I speak as a farmer who knows exactly what drainage means and I say that if the Government are interested in arterial drainage the first thing they must do is to make sure that the main arterial drain is open. If that is done the farmers will be prepared to avail of land project grants and to spend the necessary money to drain into the main artery. More money should be allocated to county councils and local improvement schemes and the Office of Public Works should open up the main arterial links and through the local improvements schemes and the land project system thousands, if not millions, of pounds would be saved to the taxpayers and land would be properly drained. It would not cost £1,000 to build a bridge over a small river. If a grant was given to the farmer of, say, £30 or £40 he would build the bridge for £50 or £60. It costs the Office of Public Works £1,000 to erect such a bridge. This is where I see a waste of money. I am speaking as a man who knows a little about drainage, who lived from the land and if I left this House I would be prepared to go back and I would not be afraid to live from it again.

I know the Parliamentary Secretary is a very short time in office and there was very little he could have done this year. He had to take what was before him. I would appeal to him next year, if this cost benefit scheme has been completed and a report issued, that an allocation for the drainage of the Corrib, the Robe and the Mask, together with the Lung, should be made available. The costings of the catchments into the main artery should be cut out because that is only a waste of money. The farmers of Ireland are well prepared at any time to do the necessary drainage if the main artery is opened.

I am sorry I did not have much time to go through this Estimate but I heard it was about to conclude and I was anxious to say a few words. Arterial drainage is the thing that affects my county most. I ask the Parliamentary Secretary to make an allocation next year to my constituency. It is his constituency also in which he is certainly interested and gets very good support.

There has been a big delay in relation to schools for the mentally handicapped. Were it not for voluntary organisations mentally handicapped children would not be looked after. Where the Department of Education has recommended that schools or extensions to schools or institutions for the handicapped should be built the Office of Public Works should provide the necessary money at very short notice. This is the most urgent problem we have. In the town hall in my own town women work in a voluntary capacity looking after from six to ten of these children. I urge the Office of Public Works to give priority to any recommendations made by the Department of Education in this field.

On the question of Garda stations, we are anxious that a new station be erected at Kilkelly. I am aware that plans for such premises have been submitted but I do not see any reference to the project in this year's Estimate. I had hoped that the new barracks would be erected during the year 1973-74. There are some Garda barracks in my county that are no more than barns. The situation is not good enough. We have always had the highest regard for our Garda authorities and it is only right that the personnel of the police force should have proper accommodation.

On the question of drainage, I appeal to the Parliamentary Secretary to ensure that, next year, my constituency will be given an allocation in this regard.

Mr. Andrews

This Estimate is one that can be considered as being the bedrock of the constituency of each Deputy in the House. It is an Estimate that is dealt with by Deputies more on a local than on a national level. On that basis it is my intention in the first instance to deal specifically with the Estimate in terms of the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Constituency. It is interesting to note that the Office of Public Works are, perhaps, the greatest source of employment in that area and I take this opportunity of paying tribute to the Commissioners of Public Works and to the employees concerned for the tremendous work that has been carried out in regard to the harbour complex in Dún Laoghaire. However, much remains to be done in this regard. Those of us who take a walk from time to time along the East Pier and, sometimes, the West Pier, are aware of the importance of this great amenity not only to the residents of Dún Laoghaire but to the people of Dublin city and county generally.

Regarding the commercial use of the pier, as the Parliamentary Secretary has mentioned, it was agreed that the East Pier would be restored to its original condition. In other words, that meant that all machinery, et cetera, relating to the former usage of the pier, would be dispensed with. The position is that the pier is at about the halfway stage of restoration. It still looks somewhat ugly and people in the area are not happy that it has not been restored fully to its original condition.

I am confident that the Parliamentary Secretary will make every effort to have the matter rectified.

At this stage I would like to digress for a moment and to congratulate the Parliamentary Secretary on his appointment. He is a man who is held in high esteem by all Deputies in this House and I wish him well in his new role.

There has bean a considerable amount of controversy regarding the entrance from the main thoroughfare across the railway line to the West Pier. I have not been along that particular road for the past three or four weeks, the reason for this being that my main interest during that time was in people and in votes and there are not too many votes to be had down the West Pier. Consequently, I am not aware of whether the position there has been remedied. Of course, the Parliamentary Secretary will not have any responsibility for the railway crossing but he has responsibility for the West Pier which is availed of considerably. It is important that there be a proper entrance to it. Perhaps the Parliamentary Secretary will communicate with CIE and ascertain what they intend doing in relation to their responsibility in the matter.

Some time ago I tabled a question in relation to the general condition of the West Pier. Some weedkiller could be dispensed with a certain amount of abandon on parts of that pier because it is covered with grass. One way of getting rid of the grass would be to dig it up and replace it with a hard top of tarmacadam. At any rate. the condition of the West Pier is not as good as that of the East Pier. Very few boats are moored there but. nevertheless, it is important that the pier be maintained in good condition so that local people may avail of it.

In this area there is an extraordinary amalgam of the type of development that I foresee in this country. On the one hand there are such recreational facilities as yachting and fishing within the harbour complex, and, then, there is a commercial proposition in operation there by way of the car ferry and the Dún Laoghaire-Holyhead line. However, that is as far as we wish to go because we must maintain a balance between the commercial and the recreational facilities. We should leave the commercial aspect alone now and concentrate on maintaining the recreational side of the area which acts as a lung to those who avail of such facilities as fishing, yachting and walking in the area.

As the working week becomes shorter, it is becoming increasingly evident that greater emphasis will have to be placed in future on facilities for leisure and that the proper use of leisure time will be one of our greatest concerns in the future. The Dún Laoghaire Harbour complex is a readymade recreational area and we must ensure that it is maintained as such. At this stage I would like to thank those responsible for the coal quay for having put it into proper condition and for having provided a proper hard top there for fishermen.

The proposal for a national park in the Wicklow mountains is one that I have put forward here on many occasions. This has also been put forward at Dublin County Council level but nothing has come of it yet. There must be developed a fully serviced national park in the Dublin-Wicklow mountain area. Again, this may not be the Parliamentary Secretary's responsibility but the use that has been made of the wonderful forest walks in the Dublin-Wicklow mountains over the last two or three years is phenomenal. This, again, is a clear indication of the will of the people of the nation to use these recerational facilities. This is a matter with which we must concern ourselves and an area we must ruthlessly protect for the benefit of our citizens. That is why I say we must protect the Dublin mountain area in the same way as I would be in favour of protecting the Dún Laoghaire harbour area.

On Sunday last and on a number of other occasions I was passing through St. Stephen's Green and I noticed—and again the Board of Works are to be congratulated on this—that swings, roundabouts and slides have been provided for children. However, due to the growing popularity of St. Stephen's Green there are not sufficient of these available. There is only one of each and I saw children queuing up behind the slide. I believe the city of Dublin and the nation can rise to more than one of these playground facilities for the children of our citizens. There is plenty of ground available for more of these items to be included. Again, St. Stephen's Green is a clear indication of the type of leisure facilities people want.

The matter of Garda stations comes within the ambit of the Parliamentary Secretary's responsibility. I believe there may be plans in the pipeline for Shankill, County Dublin, Garda station. The mind boggles at how we can ask the Garda Síochána to dwell within and to operate from such a station. It is a very primitive station, and that is putting it at its very kindest, apart from the fact that it is located on a very dangerous thoroughfare, the Stillorgan-ShankillBray road. This must be a cause of concern to the gardaí, on the one hand, in the context of road safety, with people pulling up to go in and see them and, on the other hand, in the context of their having to "survive" in the station itself.

Cabinteely Garda station is also a hazard from the point of view of road safety and the accommodation in the station itself is nothing to write home about. As regards Blackrock Garda station, again one wonders how a Garda station could be erected in such a position. The accommodation there is not good either.

These are three Garda stations I would like the Parliamentary Secretary to take into account when he is drawing up his Estimate for next year, and in relation to any Garda station rebuilding he intends doing in the city and county of Dublin I would ask him to give priority to these three stations in Shankill, Cabinteely and Blackrock. It remains for me to thank the House for bearing with me and once more to wish the Parliamentary Secretary every success in his new appointment.

Mr. McLaughlin

Coming from a constituency which suffers very severely from flooding, I should like to speak first of all about drainage. For a number of years past I have been saying what I am going to repeat now, but it has not had very much effect. There are two schemes for drainage. One is known as the arterial drainage scheme and the only other scheme I know of for drainage is the local improvements scheme. The arterial drainage scheme takes a long time to prepare, and the local improvements scheme does not cover the rivers and tributaries that fall between the arterial drainage scheme and the local improvements scheme. There are many rivers too expensive to be done under the local improvements scheme and too small to be considered under the arterial drainage scheme.

I always thought there should be some scheme in between those which would cover what I have in mind. In Sligo-Leitrim, some of these middle-sized rivers coming down from the mountains in wet weather cause very heavy flooding and do severe damage. The Government will have to get down to this question of drainage to cover a wider field than is already covered. In days gone by we had the Local Authorities (Works) Acts which did drainage and other works in between those two schemes I have mentioned.

The Department was quite generous in giving £100,000 to County Leitrim under the local improvements scheme. However, we must always remember the cost of machinery and increased wages, and when everything is taken into consideration £1,000 does very little in the line of drainage. Therefore, it is not long before £100,000 is eaten up by a few large schemes. In relation to this £100,000, I asked the county engineer at a meeting what was the backlog situation and he said that it will take five years to reach any scheme which is submitted at this stage. To have to tell a local farmer that it will be five years before a scheme is reached is something that does not give very much pleasure. Such a statement might do very severe damage. The fact that there is such a great delay in carrying out these schemes is beyond the imagination of the farming community in my constituency. Something will have to be done to speed up these schemes and lead on to greater development.

We must remember that we are not talking about conditions that existed ten years ago when livestock and land were not very valuable. When I was first elected a Member of this House 12 years ago people were only too anxious to dispose of their land and their livestock. They did not care if their land was flooded out of existence. Now, however, with land so valuable even in the most remote parts of my constituency, they have a different attitude. Irrespective of where land is for sale there is always a very interested buyer who is willing to pay a great deal of money for it. I should like to ask the Parliamentary Secretary to use his influence to have this problem of drainage tackled on a greater scale.

I have had occasion to ask the Parliamentary Secretary about a small grant that is required to carry out a drainage scheme in the Ballintrillick area. At the weekend a number of farmers made representations to me concerning this scheme. The farmers are willing to pay the cost of the scheme but they are not in a position to do the work because they have failed to obtain approval from one of the landowners concerned. I have been informed that the Board of Works has power to proceed with the scheme and I ask the Parliamentary Secretary to do everything possible to have it expedited because it would relieve the drainage problem over a vast area.

The River Bonnet has always been a great source of worry to the farmers in my constituency. Even a light fall of rain is sufficient to flood l h is river. Farmers in the area have suffered great loss as a result and have been hampered in their efforts to improve their holdings and increase their stock. Many meetings have been held and deputations have met Ministers but it all fizzled out after a while. Twenty years ago the River Bonnet was pegged after officials from the Board of Works visited the area hut the river has still not been drained. It is my hope that before long something will be done about the drainage of this river and that we will see something more than pegs in the river.

Many of the rivers I have mentioned only stretch for a distance of ten or 12 miles but the damage they cause when in flood is tremendous. They are very destructive particularly in wet weather. One such river is that which stretches from Manorhamilton to Glencar lake. This is a very low river which has not much of a flow and even the slightest flood causes a lot of damage. No local group could possibly consider carrying out the drainage of such rivers under the local improvements scheme.

Because of the importance of drainage more money should be spent on it. It is no exaggeration to state that farms which six years ago would have been sold for £1,000 are now realising in the region of £12,000. Money spent on drainage is well spent.

I should also like to bring to the notice of the Parliamentary Secretary the great need to carry out repairs in primary schools. In particular I should like to impress upon him the importance of providing wash and toilet facilities in rural schools. At the moment there is a dispute between the Department of Education and the parents of children attending a school in my constituency. This dispute concerns a grant which the parents are seeking to provide wash and toilet facilities. The school was erected in 1947 and the dispute has gone on for the past five years. The local people have provided a group water scheme in the area and, consequently, it would not cost very much to provide these facilities. A local engineer estimates that the cost would be in the region of £500.

I have referred this problem to the Department of Education who informed me that it was a matter for the Board of Works office in Sligo. I should like to ask the Parliamentary Secretary to treat this as a matter of urgency.

Mr. Kenny

Would the Deputy name the school concerned?

Mr. McLaughlin

It is Carney National School. In spite of the argument which the Department of Education is putting forward that there is little use in spending £500 on this school when there is a proposal for a central school for the area, I believe that it should be spent in the interests of the health of the children. There are numerous other schools in my constituency in need of similar improvements. The parents of the children of school-going age are not asking for any elaborate improvements. They only ask that wash and toilet facilities be provided.

On previous occasions I have drawn attention to the condition of Garda stations in my constituency. In Sligo the accommodation is far from adequate and the same applies to the station in Manorhamilton. These stations accommodate a big number of gardaí who are engaged in Border patrols. Very little improvement has been carried out to them in recent years. Both towns are calling out for new buildings that might make life much brighter and better for the men who serve the State so loyally. For some years past the Garda have had a very active time in that part of the country, Sligo-Leitrim, which borders County Fermanagh. They had to be very much on the alert. The best possible should be provided for those people who are doing such a good job, working night and day. It is only right that they should be properly looked after.

One problem which should be dealt with without delay is the provision of schools for handicapped children. Since I became a Deputy I have been approached by parents who are most anxious to have a child placed in some suitable school. On different occasions I got lists of those schools in Dublin and elsewhere and all were over-crowded. In Sligo we have a very fine school and hospital, Cregg Hospital. It began in a small way and was extended and the extension was officially opened some years ago. I hope a further extension will be opened there in the near future. This is something of which any Department may be proud. But we must remember that this hospital serves the needs of Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim, parts of Roscommon and, I think, Donegal, catering for girls. There are as many boys in the area for whom there is no suitable accommodation. The demands on that hospital are unbelievable and whenever you approach the sister-in-charge you find there is a long waiting list for admission. They are doing very good work. They bring in nurses and train them in how to handle mentally retarded children, many of whom are unable to earn a livelihood on their own. That entails great sacrifice on the part of the sisters and their nursing staff. No amount of money would be too much to spend on such projects.

We hear much talk of building hotels for tourists, but money spent on hospitalisation of the type I have mentioned is far more important than catering for people who might come for two or three months in a year. Those children are as dear to their parents as the brightest pupils in any school and it is a great consolation to the parents to know that their children are well taught and cared for in such a school. I appeal to the Government to put special emphasis on the provision of those schools. I have known boys who reached 14 years of age and it is a great source of worry to their parents to know that such a boy is approaching manhood when they have nowhere to send him. This is a serious matter especially when such a boy could be given useful training.

I must compliment the Department on the amount of money spent on various national monuments. In my own area alone valuable employment is given to people who are doing a good job. It is a pleasure to see how attractive some of those old cemeteries and old castles have become and how well looked-after they are compared with their condition a few years ago when nothing was being done. This is appreciated by many people and very useful employment is given.

The Parliamentary Secretary and his staff have a difficult task because they have to spend so much money on the maintenance of buildings all over the country and maintenance today is very expensive. Wages, materials and travelling are very costly and I must compliment the Parliamentary Secretary on the job that is being done. I wish himself and his staff every success. I should like to end as I began by making a plea that priority should be given to drainage in many rural areas that are seriously affected.

Mr. Calleary

I think it is right and fitting that a Deputy from Mayo making his first speech in this House should congratulate Deputy Kenny on his appointment as Parliamentary Secretary. Those of us who had the pleasure of serving with him in Mayo County Council know well that he has the experience and, above all, the humanity to make a very good job of the post. We also hope that he will be his own man. We are proud of the fact that the one Ministry, either senior or junior, that came west of the Shannon came to Deputy Kenny. The influence of his Department reaches into every parish in the country. It is a Department of contrasts: there are the ugly spoil heaps of arterial drainage in contrast to the magnificence of Garinish; you have the heavy reinforced concrete work of harbour construction in contrast with the delicate craftsmanship involved in the restoration of ancient monuments. It is a Department which has considerable influence not only on the material life of any area but the talents and experience of its personnel have had major repercussions on the social, recreational and business life of the towns in which they have lived.

I am a new Deputy in this House and let me say I should not like to see a glass partition extended to the ceiling in this Chamber. That would be most undesirable. I have sufficient faith in the majority of the people and in the security personnel of Leinster House to know that such work is not warranted and, in conjunction with Deputy Lemass, I would ask the Parliamentary Secretary to reconsider this matter.

I welcome the decision taken by the previous Government that office accommodation required for the Government be built by them. I considered the policy of renting accommodation futile and unnecessary. I have had conversations with well-informed people on this subject and they told me the cost of the office block to the contractor would be returned to him in seven years. The interest on the capital cost could easily be paid out of the rentals and, in the long run, the erection of office blocks by the Government for their own use would be much cheaper.

As a country Deputy, one who suffers three days weekly in the city, I think Dublin needs all the additional recreational and amenity areas that can be made available. I would ask the Parliamentary Secretary to consult with the Minister for Local Government to ensure that major housing developments include recreational facilities. Deputies Lemass and Andrews mentioned the works at Dún Laoghaire Pier. Foolishly, one night I set out to walk the East Pier and when I got to the end I had to rest before I turned back. It would be criminal to allow further commercial development on this pier and, as Deputies Lemass and Andrews urged, this area should be developed as an amenity harbour. I stay in this area when I am in Dublin and I know the intensity of feelings of the people that the recreational facilities they have should be retained.

The Parliamentary Secretary mentioned the landing facilities at Inishbofin, County Galway. I would ask him to ensure that when any construction work is carried out on harbours or slipways, full consultation should be had with local interests. I am an engineer and I realise that occasionally engineers are dogmatic about what is right and what is wrong. However, I realise in this case the fishermen are the experts; they know the direction of the winds and currents and are aware of local conditions. I would ask the Parliamentary Secretary to ensure that the fullest consultations be held with them.

If I might be parochial, may I ask the Parliamentary Secretary the position regarding the revised scheme at Kilcummin. After the election I attended a meeting of local fishermen with engineers from the Office of Public Works and from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, at which the provision of landing facilities at Kilcummin was discussed. The fishermen were adamant that the proposals submitted by the Office of Public Works were not adequate. Perhaps the Parliamentary Secretary might visit the area with me. It could be of use in the future if the rumours we hear are correct——

Mr. Kenny

I availed of the same invitation for Killala and I may avail of the Deputy's invitation also.

Mr. Calleary

A new plan was promised and I ask that it be expedited.

Mr. Kenny

Was this before the election?

Mr. Calleary

It was before Christmas.

Mr. Kenny

A new plan before Christmas is rather significant. However, we will give it favourable consideration.

Mr. Calleary

The Parliamentary Secretary's speech dealt with the Kerry region to a large extent. I spent a holiday there last year and, from the experiences of that holiday, I welcome the new route that has been developed for jaunting cars from the Tore Monument through the magnificent park. It will be much more interesting and safer than the present route which is a long, narrow, winding and busy road and one of which I have not very pleasant memories.

It is gratifying to know that the confidence of the former Government in the future of the Shannon has been proved correct and that, at a time when there has been a general decline in the tourist business, tourism in this area has shown a substantial increase. Perhaps the Parliamentary Secretary might examine the possibility of linking Lough Conn with the Moy? I understand that in the last century a plan was prepared that linked the Moy with Lough Conn and Lough Cullen. I do not know where it is now, if any trace of it exists, but if Conn and Cullen were linked with Moy there could be an excellent extension of pleasure cruising in the western areas.

The Parliamentary Secretary mentioned that £5,000 has been included for work on the museum centre in Cashel. I would ask him to ensure that the roofing of this building will be carried out in such a way that it will not stick out like a sore thumb against the other buildings on the Rock. It would be unfortunate if modern materials were used on the job. As one who has a professional and particular interest in building, I am glad to see the allocation of money, started some time ago, is being continued and that at least the public interest in the maintenance and improvement of ancient monuments is being reflected in the increased allocation this year. These ancient monuments are an important part of our past. They are mirrors of the advanced stage of our civilisation at that time.

It is essential that we be able to show to the world what we had in the past and that we would have reminders for ourselves of the difference in our building standards then and now. They are a significant part of our culture and will be, as is the case in other parts of the world, an important asset to our tourist industry. The Parliamentary Secretary does not need reminding of the richness of Connacht in these old buildings and I look to him to ensure that the best of these are restored. He might get his experts to examine all old buildings, list those that it is possible to restore and take down the rest. It would be kinder and safer to demolish those that will not be restored, after consultation with local historical organisations and development associations. It is to be hoped that the example of John McShain, whom the Parliamentary Secretary mentioned, will be followed by others.

The Parliamentary Secretary mentioned accommodation in the courts of justice complex and he specifically mentioned the Children's Court. I have not had the doubtful pleasure of seeing that court but I have read in the newspapers that it is a very grim, foreboding type of building. He has said that permanent buildings are to be designed and constructed. I would ask him to ensure that the breathing space he has mentioned in this context will not become the deep sleep of Sleeping Beauty.

As a Mayoman, I am particularly glad to see vindication of the former Minister for Lands, Mr. Moran, and that work is to start shortly in Castlebar. The former Minister received much criticism for this project and I am glad to say it is finally coming to fruition. I would ask the Parliamentary Secretary to ensure that after the contract has been placed there will be no undue delay. Knowing him, I am confident this will be so.

It was to be expected that a large proportion of the money allocated to new schools would be spent on the erection of schools in new areas of towns and cities. I would ask that a fair proportion of this money will go to rural areas. I suggest that where there are very large housing developments the developer, as part of his planning permission, should have a surcharge placed on each house to provide a contribution towards the cost of new schools which become necessary.

I wish to draw attention to one or two schools in my constituency which have been on the mat for improvement for some time. The first is the central school at Attymass. It is hoped to start on this this year and I ask the Parliamentary Secretary to ensure that this will be done. There is a small school at Creevagh, about ten miles from Ballina, in which there is neither electricity nor toilets. I have been in touch with the Minister for Education about this and I hope these facilities will be provided shortly. Deputy McLaughlin mentioned one case in point. It seems to be unreasonable that an estimate of £500 for a local job would have to be approved in the local office, then in the regional office and then Dublin. I would ask the Parliamentary Secretary to ensure that when the local office get the required number of estimates it would be possible for the work to go ahead on that basis.

Progress reported; Committee to sit again.