asked the Minister for Finance if he will introduce an intermediate drainage scheme for small rivers and streams with a view to bringing large areas of bottom lands into production and thus increase the available land pool.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Kerry Drainage Schemes.
15.
While the need for drainage in small catchments is appreciated it is considered that best use can be made of available resources and the national drainage problem more quickly resolved by concentrating on the major and minor catchments included in the published priority lists.
As far as I know, the Laune catchment area is 17th or 18th on the list and is not likely to be reached within 50 years. There are 15,000 to 20,000 acres of land that could be drained and utilised to improve the nation's economic position. It is not a very difficult job. There are three small rivers——
I want to help Deputy O'Connor, but he must pose a question to the Minister.
I am trying to put the case that these are three small rivers and that there is no engineering problem; and I am asking that an in-between drainage scheme between the arterial and the normal small schemes be introduced, this is what I am trying to get brought in here because it will serve the nation best.
The Deputy's next question deals with the Laune which, he will appreciate, is a major scheme. It was decided some years ago—I understand as far back as 1966—that these intermediate schemes referred to by the Deputy should be phased out as the demand made on resources were not justified by the benefit.
I am anticipating that we are going to get money from the EEC for the development of the western areas and this is one of the most useful purposes to which it could be put. This is the message I am trying to get across. Land is valuable and we can bring quite a quantity of reasonably good land into production through a scheme such as this.
I will convey the Deputy's remarks to the Minister.
Arising out of the Minister's reply, there is a very important point there and I would ask the Minister if he would take into consideration this question of the in-between schemes, schemes which are neither major drainage nor capable of being done under LIS. There are a number of these and they seem to be nobody's baby. They are too big for the maximum grant per farm and they do not come under major arterial drainage.
I agree that since the decision was taken in 1966 not to continue with these intermediate schemes they have been, as the Deputy says, nobody's baby. They involve a great deal of land and I sympathise with the Deputy's point of view but I have no information that there is any intention of an immediate change. I will bring the Deputy's point of view to the attention of the Minister.
Does the Minister not agree that the reason for the discontinuance of the intermediate schemes in 1966 was to enable the Office of Public Works to get ahead more quickly with main arterial drainage schemes? Further arising out of that, could the Minister say when the cost/benefit analysis now being carried out by the Department of Finance into arterial drainage generally will be resumed?
This seems to be a separate question.
The arterial drainage programme was stopped in order to do a cost/benefit analysis on drainage generally.
The Deputy's memory is good because he was Parliamentary Secretary at the time.
I was not, actually.
It was on the 7th December, 1966. That is my information.
That was when the intermediate schemes were withdrawn.
Yes.
That was in order to let main drainage schemes go ahead. Since then the cost/benefit analysis has been started into drainage generally and I am asking the Minister what is happening about that now.
I am not aware of the scope of the cost/benefit study. I understood it was in relation to major catchments and not into drainage generally. I have no information here as to what stage it is at.
16.
asked the Minister for Finance when drainage of the Laune catchment area, County Kerry will commence.
The Laune catchment has been listed for consideration under the Arterial Drainage Act, 1945, but it would not, at this stage, be possible to say when it may be reached in the drainage programme.
Because of its placing, 50 years at least.
At least.