asked the Minister for Local Government if Kerry County Council have submitted plans for the improvement of the water supply in Dingle, County Kerry; and if he will indicate when work will commence on this project as several householders and business premises are without water for extensive periods.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Water and Sewerage Schemes.
33.
No plans for the improvement of the water supply in Dingle have been submitted to my Department.
I understand, however, that the local authority have just completed an improvement scheme which will augment the supply by 50,000 gallons per day.
34.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he has received proposals from Galway Corporation for the provision of an interceptor sewer which would eliminate the pollution caused by effluent discharge at Claddagh Quay, Galway: if so, the date it was received; and when the sanction will issue.
Contract documents for the scheme referred to by the Deputy were received in my Department on 13th March, 1975. Following technical examination of the documents, the local authority were requested on 12th June to consider further certain technical aspects of the proposals and to report the results in due course.
35.
asked the Minister for Local Government the capital allocation for water supply and sewerage schemes to Galway County Council for 1973-74 and 1975.
Capital allocations to Galway County Council for water supply and sewerage schemes for the financial years 1973-74 and 1975 were as follows:—
|
1973-74 |
— |
£477,070 |
|
1975 |
— |
£152,000 |
Did the Minister say £477,070?
That is correct.
It was £477,070 for what year?
For the year 1973-74, £477,070 and for 1975 £152,000.
That is a big reduction.
To put it in its proper context, in 1972-73 the amount allocated was £158,000. The first big allocation was given by me in 1973-74 of £477,070 because Galway County Council were in a position to spend that money and had everything going for them. In 1974 they got £112,698 all of which they spent and in 1975 they got £152,000. Like a lot of other counties, apparently, Galway County Council did not take steps to prepare schemes until they found there appeared to be a different approach to the allocation of money. The result is that last year a lot of money was asked for and this year Galway County Council in the normal way got a fair share of what is going. The fact that they got an abnormal share in the previous year seems to have prompted the question.
Is the Minister saying Galway County Council fell down on the job?
I would not say that.
That is not our information from the manager. The manager said they were held up for money.
It is quite correct for the manager to say a number of schemes have been held up because they have not got this extra money. It is only right to point out that we are talking about an allocation of money this year of more than twice what was being allocated when I took over. Galway County Council and other councils should have got a much higher amount for water and sewerage schemes over a number of years. Apparently they stopped planning and it was only last year they produced a very big plan and got £477,070 to carry it out. This year because of the fact that a number of other counties have produced very expensive plans also, so far we were only able to give them the amount of money which has been given which, incidentally, is a fairly sizeable sum, £152,000.
Arising further out of the Minister's reply——
Question Time is over. The remaining questions will appear on next week's Order Paper. Deputies who wish to do so may obtain answers in the General Office.
In view of the British subsidy to the textile industry announced yesterday and the detrimental effect it will have on the textile industry here, and in view of the case we have been making for aid for the textile industry here, I tabled a Special Notice Question this morning which the Ceann Comhairle has refused.
That question has been ruled out of order.
I would ask you, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, to take into consideration the fact that no matter how this question is tabled there may not be an opportunity to have it raised in the ordinary way until October during the Christmas Session.
The Deputy must resume his seat. The Deputy has already been informed about his question and he has an opportunity of putting it down for the sitting days of next week. There can be no further discussion on the matter.
The Deputy has received the same treatment with regard to this type of question on a number of occasions. This is an urgent matter.
I am calling the next business.
It is an important matter for the textile industry and the Minister for Industry and Commerce is doing nothing about it.
I wanted to prod the Minister into doing something by putting down a Special Notice Question.
The Deputy must allow the Business of the House to proceed.