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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 5 Mar 1981

Vol. 327 No. 6

Estimates, 1981. - Vote 9: Public Works and Buildings.

I move:

That a sum not exceeding £67,971,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 1981, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of Public Works; for certain domestic expenses; 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; and for payment of a grant-in-aid.

A sum of £67,971,000 is the amount being sought for Vote 9, Public Works and Buildings for 1981 under various subheads.

The administrative expenses of the Office of Public Works and the wages and allowances of the President's household staff are met from subheads A1 to C and an amount of £10,585,000 is required in respect of these.

An amount of £4.6 million is required under subhead D for the acquisition of sites and premises for various Government services, including the acquisition of the fee simple of some existing leasehold premises. A sum of £½ million has been included for the purchase of sites for new offices to be built under the programme of decentralisation of Government staff in 12 provincial centres. I would like to acknowledge the very valuable assistance rendered by the various local authorities in securing sites for this purpose. In some cases they have made sites available and, where this was not possible, they have been extremely helpful in the search for privately-owned sites.

This subhead also provides for the purchase of land for national parks and for the national monuments and waterways services. Nowadays, with expanding urbanisation, it is desirable to preserve areas where scenic beauty, natural plant life and wildlife remain undisturbed by development and to make them available for the enjoyment and recreation of our own people and of overseas visitors. In so far as available resources permit, the commissioners are continuing with their national parks programme, an important part of which is the acquisition of land for the expansion and development of parks in Killarney, Connemara, Glenveagh in County Donegal and the Burren in County Clare. The provision included in respect of national monuments provides not alone for acquiring monuments but also for the purchase of sites to provide visitor facilities and work depots. The cost of purchasing sites to provide improved facilities for the Shannon navigation is also met from this subhead.

The total amount required for works to be carried out under subhead E is £21,830,000, which represents the estimated expenditure on building new offices and providing improved accommodation for Government Departments and improved facilities for the various services which they administer. The programme is well under way and will be maintained this year.

Included in this amount is a figure of £1.6 million in respect of the programme for the decentralisation of Government Departments on which it is hoped to make good progress in the current year. As has already been announced, the Government are anxious to encourage involvement by the private sector in the development of this programme.

Also included is an amount of £304,000 in respect of major and minor new works at our national parks and monuments. A new access road is being provided at Connemara National Park, which was opened last year, and work on a new centre for visitors will start soon at Glenveagh National Park. A new sewage treatment plant at Muckross House in Killarney is nearing completion. Plans for the adaptation of the former Apostolic Nunciature buildings in the Phoenix Park to provide a national heritage centre and park administration-maintenance centre are being prepared and a new information centre and car park at Knockmaroon has been completed and will be opened to the public shortly. Works are in progress on the provision of visitor facilities at Cahir Castle and the Rock of Cashel and, in co-operation with Bord Fáilte and the Forest and Wildlife Service of the Department of Fisheries and Forestry, planning for the provision of a visitor centre and car park at Glendalough is progressing. A new central depot for the maintenance of monuments in the north west is being established at Dromahair, County Leitrim.

Provision is also made under the subhead for continued investment in the development of Shannon Navigation. Over the last ten years, the Office of Public Works have co-operated with Bord Fáilte and the local authorities in improving facilities in order to develop the great potential of the waterway for recreational use. Over £600,000 has been spent on development works including the provision of a new harbour at Portumna, major developments at Mount-shannon and the restoration of the Lough Allen canal as far as Acres Lough. Works in progress include a new harbour at Dromod, dry docks at Rooskey and the provision of additional facilities at Drumsna, Hodson's Bay and Shannon-bridge. It is hoped to commence work this year at other centres including Dromineer harbour which is being transferred to the Commissioners of Public Works by Tipperary (North Riding) County Council.

In addition to providing new amenities, the commissioners are also responsible for operating and maintaining existing facilities on the Shannon Navigation on which they have spent over £2 million in the last ten years.

An amount of £1,430,000 is required for works for the Department of Finance. Of this £120,000 is in respect of various improvement works at the Ordnance Survey Office. It is expected that works on the refurbishment of the north block of Government Buildings will be completed this year and that the long due work of renovating the facade of these buildings will also be carried out. Construction of a new building for the State Laboratory at Abbotstown, County Dublin is in progress and planning for the provision of alternative accommodation for the Stationery Office at Bishop Street, Dublin, is at an advanced stage.

The sum of £187,000 is being provided for works at various customs posts. Tenders have been received for a new customs and excise office in Burnfoot and it is hoped to place a contract shortly.

Tenders are being invited for the provision of a new training centre for the Department of the Public Service and the Institute of Public Administration at Clonskeagh, Dublin and it is hoped to place a contract for this work later this year.

A total sum of £1,790,000 is required in respect of works which will be undertaken for the Department of Justice and of this an amount of £1,590,000 is in respect of works for the Garda. This provides for the erection of new Garda stations and residences, for the improvement of existing Garda accommodation and for other works at the Garda Depot and the Templemore Training Centre. The good progress made last year in the replacement of sub-standard accommodation will be maintained in the current year. While major works were completed last year at 11 centres including Mallow, Manorhamilton, Kildare, Fermoy and Irishtown, Dublin, ten contracts are still in progress and tenders for the erection of new stations at ten other centres are under consideration. Work is also expected to commence during the year on the erection of a new divisional headquarters at Tralee and a new district headquarters at Carrick-on-Shannon. The planning of buildings at 18 other centres including a divisional headquarters at Monaghan and district headquarters at Oughterard, Tipperary town and Wicklow is at a very advanced stage. Planning is also proceeding for the provision of a new training college for Garda officers of the rank of inspector and upwards at the Templemore Training Centre and for the provision of accommodation for a computer at the Garda Depot, Phoenix Park. Planning for new and additional court accommodation is also proceeding.

With regard to accommodation and working facilities for State employees generally, great strides have been made in the past decade to provide a modern environment of a high standard. Having regard to the expansion of the public service in that period and the additional accommodation that had to be found to cater for those increased staff numbers, the progress made with up-dating and replacing older buildings has been quite good. The work has been going ahead steadily in accordance with programmes designed to deal with all of the buildings in each category in an orderly way. In any such programme some buildings must be towards the end of the queue and it is inevitable that the occupants of those buildings seeing the great improvements in others will be disappointed at the necessary lead-in time to a solution to their particular situations. I understand their disappointment but I say again that the only way to deal with the formidable task of refurbishing and replacing a large number of buildings is by way of orderly programmes of works which must be adhered to and advanced in accordance with the resources available from time to time.

An amount of £315,000 is required for works for the Department of Education. This is mainly required for the provision of much-needed additional accommodation for the National Library and improvements to the present premises and also improvements to the National Museum. Tenders are under consideration for the adaptation of premises at 23 Kildare Street to provide additional accommodation for the National Library and it is expected that a contract will be placed shortly.

An amount of £822,000 is required for various works for the Department of Agriculture. The grain storage complex at Abbotstown, County Dublin is almost complete. Tenders will shortly be invited for a new sewerage scheme and a unit for the treatment of rabies, swine fever and poultry disease also at Abbotstown. The provision of new student accommodation and a new water supply at Ballyhaise is in hands and other projects are at planning stage. Planning of approved accommodation at the Botanic Gardens to include a new library and herbarium and an extension to the Department's offices at Castlebar is at an advanced stage. Of the £70,000 required for works for the Department of Transport, £60,000 is in respect of an extension to Valentia Coast Radio Station for which tenders will shortly be invited.

A total sum of £2,050,000 is required for works for the Department of Posts and Telegraphs. Building of a new post office at Mullingar is in progress and Longford new post office is nearing completion. In addition to the works covered by this Estimate, the commissioners are undertaking the provision of the buildings required for the telecommunications development programme. Most of the expenditure on these buildings is met from the telephone capital account. To give an indication of the massive scale of this programme I might mention that there are at present almost 150 buildings under construction. These range from small rural automatic exchanges to the large complex at Mervue in Galway. The expenditure from the telephone capital account in 1980 was in excess of £21 million and it is expected that expenditure in the current year will be more than double that figure. The Minister for Posts and Telegraphs when speaking in the Dáil on 18 December 1980 paid a tribute to the dedication and enthusiasm of the Office of Public Works and I am very happy to endorse what he said.

An amount of £1,600,000 is being provided for embassy building abroad for the Department of Foreign Affairs. Fitting out works have been completed at the chanceries in Copenhagen and Madrid and work is in progress at the Peking and Nairobi Embassies. Fitting out of premises at Dar-es-Salaam and Beirut and the improvement of premises at Washington, Lagos and New Delhi will be done this year. Planning for new Embassies at Canberra and Riyadh is proceeding.

An amount of £775,000 is required for employment exchange buildings. Work on the adaptation of premises at Thomas Street, Dublin, and on the erection of a new exchange at Dún Laoghaire is nearing completion while the exchange at Manorhamilton has recently been completed. Planning for exchanges at Limerick and Newcastlewest is in progress.

An amount of £5,105,000 is required for the erection of new office buildings and the fitting out of premises for occupation by various Government Departments.

Last year saw the completion of new Government offices in Mullingar and an extension to Tralee custom house. The construction of Government offices in Athlone and Waterford and the re-furbishment of numbers 14-16 Upper Merrion Street, as well as the second stage of the new Garda Headquarters at the Phoenix Park, will be completed this year.

Work is proceeding on the second stage of the development of 93-99 Lower Leeson Street to house the Department of Fisheries and Forestry and others. Phase I of the office development at Beggar's Bush to house the Geological Survey Office and the Labour Court is progressing and is due to be completed next year. Work will commence shortly on the erection of new Government offices at Carrick-on-Shannon, Cork, Navan and Thurles. Other developments being planned include a new headquarters building for the Department of Defence, further developments at Beggar's Bush, Marlborough Street/Waterford Street, the rehabilitation of areas of Dublin Castle, and new Government offices at Kilkenny, Portlaoise, Sligo and Wexford.

I am pleased to state that the conversion of the former UCD premises at Earlsfort Terrace into a concert hall is reaching completion and it is expected that the opening concert will be held in May of this year. This concert hall of international standard will provide a long awaited amenity for music lovers. A list of the various works has been made available to Deputies and I hope this will be of use.

A total of £28,763,000 is required in respect of the subheads F.1 to F4. These subheads provide for the normal day to day maintenance, furnishing, leasing, heating, lighting, and so on, of Government offices, Garda stations, post office buildings, employment exchanges, social welfare offices, agricultural institutions, Irish embassies abroad and other State owned buildings. They also provide for the maintenance of certain State-owned harbours, the River Shannon navigation and the various national parks.

While this figure represents an increase of approximately 20 per cent over the amount provided for these subheads, inclusive of the Supplementary Estimate in 1980, the increase is necessary to cover increases in costs, expansion of the various services, increases in rents arising from renewals of leases and review provisions in existing leases and to allow for the leasing of new premises and the replacement of unsuitable accommodation.

The amount sought under subhead F.5—£690,000—is required to meet expenditure on the reconstruction of Waterford courthouse which is being undertaken on behalf of Waterford Corporation who are repaying the cost.

An amount of £10,470,000 is being sought for subheads G.1 to G.3 in connection with the arterial drainage programme which is being undertaken under the Arterial Drainage Act of 1945.

While subhead G.1 provides for the carrying out of hydrometric studies and of comprehensive drainage surveys as a necessary preliminary to arterial drainage schemes, subhead G.2 provides for drainage construction works in progress. Work is proceeding on the Boyne, Maigue and Corrib-Mask-Robe schemes and the Boyle and Bonet schemes should commence during the year. In fact I had hoped that the latter schemes would commence during 1980 but, due to difficulties in completing the statutory requirements of exhibition of the scheme, consideration of observations and so on, received and confirmed, this did not prove possible. Fifty per cent of moneys expended on drainage construction works on the Corrib-Mask-Robe, Boyle and Bonet schemes will be recoverable from the EEC under the programme for the acceleration of drainage works in the western region. Subhead G.3 covers the cost of maintenance of completed drainage and embankment schemes and the cost of this is recovered from the county councils concerned.

An amount of £2,678,000 is required in respect of subhead H for the purchase of engineering plant and machinery, the purchase of stores and the payment of wages to the staff of the central engineering workshop.

An amount of £197,000 is required in respect of subhead I.1 to cover the cost of completing the coast protection scheme at Enniscrone, County Sligo, and also to enable works to commence on a new scheme at Ballyvoile, County Waterford. Included also is an amount to cover the maintenance of the completed schemes at Rosslare and Youghal, the cost of which is recoverable from the county councils involved.

An amount of £1,643,000 is required in respect of subhead J.1 to meet the cost of maintenance and presentation of the 569 monuments currently in State care, for archaeological excavation and for expenses incurred in connection with the archaeological survey.

Conservation of monuments in the care of the commissioners is a continuing process. Last year major works were completed at Abbey Friary and Portumna Castle in County Galway, the Vicar's Choral at the Rock of Cashel, County Tipperary and Castle Carra, County Mayo to mention a few. Works will continue this year at Abbey Knockmoy and Kilconnell Abbey, County Galway, Ennis Abbey, County Clare, Ferns Castle and Tintern Abbey, County Wexford, Cahir and Grallagh Castles, County Tipperary, Ross Castle and Skellig Michael, County Kerry, Glenquin Castle, County Limerick, Glanworth Castle, French Prison, James and Charles Forts, County Cork, Ballymote Castle, County Sligo and Donegal Castle among others. Work will also continue at the Casino, Marino, Dublin.

In addition to the monuments in full State care many field monuments are being preserved through the process of listing under the National Monuments Acts. A total of 297 monuments were listed in 1980. There are occasions, however, when the commissioners must resort to stronger measures by making preservation orders and during the past year five such orders were made.

Grants for research archaeological excavations are to be made again this year. This will enable the investigation of the major site at Knowth to continue as well as the investigations at Carrowmore megalithic cemetery, County Sligo.

During the past year the staff engaged on the Archaeological Survey has been increased and this will help to speed up the rate of progress of the survey, the purpose of which is to record all the monuments in the country. This year a start is being made on the preliminary survey of County Carlow. Consideration of the provision of a modern information storage and retrieval system for the survey is well advanced.

The commissioners recently held a four-day course at Kilkenny Castle to develop a programme of training for temporary guides who are recruited each season at a number of selected monuments and park properties. Personnel from Killarney National Park, Kilkenny Castle, Newgrange Tumulus, Clonmacnoise, State Apartments, Dublin Castle, Rock of Cashel, Connemara National Park, Derrynane Historic Park, Muckross House, Cahir Castle and Saint Enda's, Rathfarnham, attended the course which was conducted by CERT — the Council for Education, Recruitment and Training for the hotel, catering and tourism industries.

More than 500,000 people visited these sites last year where up to 60 temporary staff were recruited to provide a guide-information service. The temporary guides employed were generally university students residing in the locality and pursuing a course of studies relevant to the site at which they were employed. The proceeds from the admission charges in operation at a number of the sites is usually sufficient to cover the wages of the temporary guides.

An amount of £15,000 is required to pay outstanding expenses in respect of the restoration of Holy Cross Abbey.

The Office of Public Works carry out a large volume of works for other Departments not covered by this Vote. I have mentioned already the Department of Posts and Telegraphs but in addition the Department of Education have allocated £30 million to the commissioners for the primary school building programme and similarly the Department of Justice have allocated more than £10 million in respect of prison works and approximately 24 million has been allocated for harbour works. This means that in 1981 the total gross expenditure for which the office will be responsible will be in the region of £167 million.

It is clear from this that the activities of the Office of Public Works are far-reaching and varied and that they touch on many aspects of life in all parts of the country. This will be reflected, I am sure, in Deputies' comments to which I now look forward. When replying to these comments I will do my best to answer any queries raised.

Because of Deputy Donnellan's unavoidable absence from the House this morning, I have had to come in at very short notice to contribute to this debate. The Estimate before us is comprehensive as well as being of importance to most people. I compliment the Minister of State for having succeeded in getting his tongue around some of the more difficult words in his brief. I compliment him also on the increases being provided for, even if inflation has already eroded these increases to a considerable extent. However, money is being provided for very necessary works.

The Office of Public Works must be the most impersonal of public Departments. This office deals with everybody but one might be pardoned for asking if they are really committed to anybody. Having said that I must add that the office have been more than helpful to me in the many dealings I have had with them at local level. Many of the problems associated with the Department are associated with their having to depend on other Departments to furnish documents and to supply details of work to be carried out and so on. This situation has resulted in a certain amount of unwieldiness down through the years. Because of this I should like to see the Office of Public Works playing a more positive role in determining what works are to be carried out. Once a decision has been made they should be free to move in and get on with the job and produce what would be a sort of turn-key product for the Department concerned.

To illustrate the sort of problems I am speaking of, I might mention a convent at Mallow which was built not so very long ago. The roof of the building is leaking and despite the fact that the architect has sanctioned the estimate for the necessary repairs, the matter rests with the Department of Education at the moment. This means that when they have dealt with it, it will be returned to the Office of Public Works who will then carry out the work. The problem is that in the meantime the roof continues to leak and the rain is going right down through the carpets. This is the sort of problem that should be dealt with as a matter of urgency but the involvement of different Departments causes delay.

Up to a point the priorities are right so far as this Estimate is concerned. We may argue about the question of urgency in relation to the spending of almost £2 million on brightening up an embassy in Jeddah or in Dar-Es-Salaam at a time of recession and of crisis. I suppose we have to keep up a good front and even if that costs a lot of money we cannot argue too much about it. But we must concentrate more attention nearer home. We must consider the many schools, Garda barracks and public buildings urgently in need of attention. We must look at the serious problem of coast erosion. I see a figure of a couple of hundred of thousands of pounds provided for coast erosion. That would only buy a few loads of stones nowadays. We should be serious about coast erosion because the sea will not wait for the recession to end; the tide still comes in relentlessly. From my experience over the last few years it is doing untold damage and making vast inroads into private and also public property.

Youghal was mentioned as getting an allocation, but out of £200,000 it cannot be much. If we were to consider the coast from Youghal to Ballycotton we would be talking of £20 million to be realistic, if we are to save that beautiful coastline and those beaches and protect the town of Youghal and Ballycotton village. There was a time when we were inclined to despair and give in to the sea. I think it is in the prophecies regarding east Cork that the Round Tower would be a sign used by sea captains on their way to Cork — in other words, the sea would come in through Cloyne right up to Cork city. At the present rate of erosion it begins to look as if that might happen. Unless we tackle the problem now we will have a very serious situation. The technology is now available and it is not an elaborate one of mass concrete and bulwarks. All we need in that area — and it has been proved highly successful — is loads and loads of limestone rocks. It is a straightforward, simple operation, but it must be undertaken now.

The Minister asked for constructive comments and I make mine in the most constructive possible way, that he should look at this problem personally. I would be prepared to go along with him at any time and show him what is involved, show him where much has been done with little over the past few years. So much more has to be done. We have not so many nice beaches on the south coast and in the whole country there is not that much fertile land or many villages as attractive as Ballycotton. Unless we move now in regard to places like Ballycotton and Youghal the country will face massive expenditure, because if we do not start in time concrete bulwarks will have to be poured costing millions and millions.

With the advent of larger fishing boats — it shows the confidence of fishermen that they are still buying fairly substantial boats — and with the rather free movement of these boats around the coast. and the boats that come from abroad occasionally, our harbours are totally inadequate. It may sound parochial but it could apply anywhere. Very recently we had a case in point in Ballycotton when very large vessels visited us to unload and refuel. They literally pulled the place apart as regards pillars and chains and so on. We now have a derelict harbour which will cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to put right. You cannot stop these vessels if they are entitled to come in. I do not know if you can claim damages from them or, if we did, whether they would have anything to give us. The basic problem is that the harbour is not equipped to deal with those vessels as it should be. All these small harbours must be dredged and piers properly constructed.

I have raised this matter several times in the House and the Minister for Fisheries and myself regularly have exchanges on this issue of proper harbour facilities. We could devote much more attention to this area because, in spite of all the hassle about EEC fishery rules, I believe Irish fishermen will thrive and prosper and that we will be dealing with bigger and bigger boats. I believe our fishermen will be more than competitive with bigger fleets anywhere, because we have the best fishing grounds and the best fishermen in the world. There is nothing to stop us doing our own processing and we have a big advantage in the market place. This is a profitable area for the Minister to consider. Much of his activities are not reflected in cash returns. Such works as archaeology, protecting public buildings, maintaining our castles and monuments do not so easily show a payback, but the area I am talking about would yield an immediate return. A good harbour is automatically followed by a good fishing fleet and next comes the demand for a processing plant and the creation of jobs. One of the most important considerations at the moment is to provide employment, albeit not always productive employment. Here is an area of productive employment which we should certainly be considering today.

The Minister spoke of arterial drainage, another really productive area. Successive Governments—and we must admit to being as culpable as the next — have never got down to the importance of arterial drainage. Only since our accession to the EEC has it come home to farmers with the very substantial grants available for draining their land. This applies as much to my area as to Deputy Callanan's or anybody else's. A lot of work has been carried out and the Deputy is fortunate in that regard. However, what use is all the drainage? What is the point in digging deep drains if the water has nowhere to go except back up on the land again, making the work pointless? It would be logical to start work at the mouth of the river and clean it all the way up. With the modern equipment which we see on television, which can stand on the bed of the river and clean a way before it, the task is much easier. The Estimate is quite substantial—£7 million is a lot of money, probably borrowed money — but this is an area where we could double our money with good results.

We are talking about a recession and about cutting back, but very often cutting back is the worst possible thing to do when done in the wrong area. No private individual or Government ever got out of a recession by receding. You get out of a recession by fighting your way out. These works would create a lot of extra jobs and the Minister could see, if he comes down to our area—and I am sure it is the same in his own—the volume of excavation equipment lying idle because farmers have suddenly halted this type of work, perhaps for the wrong reasons. The equipment and the men are there. The Minister could make a right good deal now with these people to get a lot of work done and I believe that a lot of work needs to be done.

Take, for instance, last winter when we challenged another Minister on what he intended doing about the flood disasters in Fermoy, Mallow, Kanturk and the whole Blackwater area. We gave him statistics of the tragedy involved and told him of the people's fear and of the very substantial sums of money lost in property and stock. We were told that the Minister had no funds in his Department to recompense these people and that there were no EEC funds. We would have had to put up £10 million of our own money to get £1 million of EEC money. As yet nothing has been forthcoming to these people who have suffered losses. They are in a similar plight to people in the path of an earthquake or a volcano. They have a similar fear about future flooding and disasters. When we go back to the county council we are told that we are 27th on the list.

This is a long river which the Minister knows. It flows through some of the best land in the world—there is no doubt about that. It flows through some of the most prosperous industrial towns in Ireland. Yet, we have not got down to cleaning and draining it properly. I hope the Minister will look again at the situation. I am not saying that he is not putting a lot of money into the Estimate. He is, but this is certainly one area which has been overlooked. There is the unique situation in three of our major towns of the likelihood of flooding happening again at any moment, because all you need is the wrong set of circumstances, of tide, wind and rain, combining to cause these frightening floods.

People woke up one morning and heard the river flowing past an upstairs window or found that the fronts of their houses had collapsed. The entire parapet of the bridge also collapsed. Farmers found animals on treetops and were very lucky that they themselves were not drowned in the floodwaters in their efforts to salvage some of their stock. There is a logical case to be made for starting on this work immediately. I will support the Minister if he comes along tomorrow morning or next week with a Supplementary Estimate for this work. I did so before and was criticised afterwards around this House in the case of a Supplementary Estimate for the building of a vessel which some Deputies thought was costing the Exchequer too much money. In this case a Supplementary Estimate is fully justified and would gain recognition for the Minister and his Department.

I come now to the thorny subject of the maintenance of these works. There is very little point in draining the Corrib, the Mask, the Boyne or any of these rivers if they are not maintained. That is a foregone conclusion. The Minister is over-optimistic if he thinks that he can recover the maintenance costs of river or coastal erosion works from the relevant county council. Cork County Council and, indeed, Mayo County Council or any county council, do not have the necessary funds at their disposal to carry out their own work. I appeal to the Minister, not in any political sense, because of the changed situation where we no longer have rates to any degree, that all this work involving maintenance be funded from a central authority, preferably from the Minister's own Department. A special allocation could be made to the Minister to ensure that he has the money and gets on with the job. He is only fooling himself if he thinks he can ask the councils to write cheques for them, because they have not got the money. The county councils have not even enough money at present to maintain the roadways, much less to pay for arterial drainage and so forth.

I am pleased to note from the Minister's address that agriculture is not forgotten in his Estimate and I note the improvements in the agricultural colleges situation. I mentioned before to the present Minister that because of longstanding, massive demands in Cork county we have been looking for an agricultural college in our part of the county. Every year, students try in vain to gain admission to our various colleges around the country. We could not say this a few years ago, but we have now at Fota a university college with a most beautiful farm and buildings. The Department should have a chat with Dr. Raftery. There are a lot of third level students doing useful work there at the moment and there will be a wildlife park there, which is to be welcomed. All this is being sponsored by the university. Fota would be an ideal setting for an agricultural college. This is a large area where there is a demand. Agricultural grants for students are limited, but in spite of that there are many interested people in my area. If we had this type of facility at Fota Island there would be quite a number of day pupils and there would not be any problem of boarding. We could start in a small way and grow with the demand. There is logic in this.

Because of the recession some people might think this is not a time to build colleges. However, if we are to get out of this rut and give the young people who will be going into farming the courage and confidence needed, we will have to tell them that we have confidence in agriculture, that we will build a local college, that we will make them more efficient and that we will instil in them the confidence which is so badly needed.

As Fine Gael spokesman of tourism I was particularly pleased to note that the Minister and his Department are funding very essential sewerage treatment works at Muckross. This is not in my constituency but it is still one of the greatest jobs undertaken by the Department. This proves there is still some hope for us, because I was beginning to despair about the Department of the Environment and other Departments doing something about pollution. I want to repeat that the Department dealing with pollution are the worst offenders. I am sure they would be happy to pump raw effluent out of Killarney into a lake if they could get away with it because that is precisely what they are doing with Cork Harbour.

We do not have any place as beautiful as Killarney but we have a good second, a place called Eastferry—I will bring the Minister of State down there sometime, probably after the election and show him this most beautiful tropical area. Cork County Council, with the blessing of the Department of the Environment, proposed to pour raw effluent into that most beautiful part of Cork Harbour. I appeal to the Minister to look at this scenic area and see if he can find the money to help. The strange thing is it would not cost any more to do what I am asking. I went to the trouble of getting another team of consultants to look at the situation. Originally there was to be a two-and-three-quarter mile pipe into that beautiful area, but we proved a treatment plant could be sited near the town for exactly the same money. Because of mulishness, the Department refused to look at any other set of figures or to listen to anybody else. They forged ahead with their original plans which are, as I said many times, 1,000 years out of date.

The Minister referred to social welfare officers and the work being done in that Department. I would like him to look at this matter personally, because I have a thing about social welfare officers. Going to a social welfare officer is like going begging. I have the greatest sympathy for the people who have to present themselves for medical cards. If a person visits a social welfare office his business should be discussed in the privacy of an office, not at a counter with everybody listening. I know people who will not go for their medical cards because of this lack of privacy and very often because of the torrent of abuse they get from these officers.

I was particularly pleased to notice that the Minister sponsored a special course for tour guides. This is a much-needed service. I had the privilege of being a member of the Council of Europe and have visited nearly all 21 member nations. I saw how these people treated their visitors. A person would arrive at Athens, Corinth or somewhere else, be met by the tour guide, taken on a conducted tour and pay whatever is needed. He does not think very much about what he is paying because it does not cost very much. Tourist guides are very skilled people. Very often they bring 200 to 300 people on tours to study what appears to be the remains of a statue. They know the history of these places and instruct visitors.

In Ireland we have treasures these people never dreamt of, treasures which go back to pre-historic times. We have dolmens and cromlechs, cathedrals and round towers, castles and forts. Last summer in my local town of Cloyne I saw groups of French tourists. They had a good knowledge of English, otherwise I would not have been able to communicate with them. They did not know how to get into the cathedral or the round tower because there was not a guide available. I took this simple job on myself. The key was in the lodge and I brought them in. They were thrilled with the cathedral and fascinated by the round tower, wondering how it could have been built and how the stones were carried to the top. Their day was made by that visit. The cameras were clicking all day and I am sure they are still talking about this one little experience.

As Fine Gael spokesman for tourism, I have an interest in this area. The Americans would dearly love to have an ancient cathedral or round tower. They can only go back as far as Davy Crocket. We have a unique history. Many people come here not for the sunshine, of which we have a limited amount, and certainly not for the beer which is too expensive, but let us hope they will still come to see what cannot be seen anywhere else in the world, our castles, Clonmacnoise, Cashel and other places of historical interest. This is an ideal job for university students during the summer months. They have a knowledge of languages and are proud of our treasures. I should like to see short courses being run which would be of interest to people such as those living in Cloyne. The scheme could be self-supporting.

I am sure many other speakers will refer to Garda barracks and courthouses. From my experience the work which has been done on barracks has been worthwhile and is of good quality. I would suggest, however, that flat accommodation for young gardaí be provided in the vicinity of barracks. Very often they have difficulty in finding accommodation, especially in small towns.

In this Year of the Disabled various Government Departments are employing disabled people but they also have accommodation difficulties. I know of one case concerning a particularly bright young girl who is confined to a wheelchair. She may not be able to continue in employment because she cannot find suitable accommodation and at present she must take a train to the suburbs. We often talk about facilities for Dáil Deputies, but they can look after themselves. We should ascertain the demand for accommodation for disabled people and make suitable arrangements. A lot of work is being done in adapting buildings to suit the handicapped.

In rural areas we should avoid the skycraper-type development. An example of such an edifice is the county Hall in Cork, which to me is a horrible building. It is very inefficient and very often the lifts do not work. I believe buildings should be kept as near the ground as possible, especially in areas where there is plenty of space.

Like coast erosion work, the conservation of monuments is a matter which cannot wait. There is a danger of many historic sites and buildings being destroyed and a stock example is the Wood Quay saga. Fairy forts are being wiped out and ruined buildings destroyed, the significance of which is not appreciated until some item of treasure is discovered in the process. We must seek out the places which have not yet been taken over by the National Monuments Commission and they should be earmarked immediately. There are a number of ruined castles in my area which are in a dangerous condition and young children are inclined to play there. Such monuments are very valuable and need immediate attention. Sceillig Mhicíl is not Inishvickillaune, I suppose. It is a different one.

I hope my contribution has been constructive. If I have made demands for additional finance from the Exchequer it is because I believe it would be money well spent. When it comes to Cairo, Canberra, Copenhagen, Jeddah, Lagos, Nairobi, New Delhi, Ottawa, Peking or Washington D.C., they should be able to wait a little while. They have pretty comfortable pads and will not suffer too much hardship if we ask them to hold on a little longer. Perhaps we are overdoing things in the matter of embassies. Can we afford these very elaborate mansions all over the world? Perhaps we could do as well with a lesser operation. I believe we should first look after our own little island and make sure that the Atlantic Ocean does not make it any smaller. I am particularly concerned about the acre by acre erosion in the Youghal-Ballycotton area. Deputations met the Minister's predecessor on the subject but no action was taken. There is provision in the Estimate for a sum of £200,000 which would not even pay for a few loads of stones.

The Government should set up a fund not merely to deal with the existing works and drainage but to continue with maintenance. Drainage without maintenance is useless and land drainage without river drainage is worse than useless. EEC funds are being poured into farm and river drainage and at the end of the day it will be useless if we do not maintain it properly. The Department will have to do the job and fund it themselves. If we drained the Blackwater River and did something about coast erosion it would create worthwhile employment. Every acre of land saved means money and jobs.

In relation to inter-departmental delays, they can be dealt with by the Government as a whole. The Board of Works should have a clear mandate to rectify problems that come within their ambit without having to deal with the Department of Justice, for instance, and all the officialdom that at the moment enters into a small matter, down to a leaking roof in Mallow Convent. That is the sort of thing that we as public representatives have to contend with. The Minister can sort it out; he has the power to sort it out.

In relation to housing by the department of Defence I am not sure if that comes within the Minister's brief. But this is a very serious area.

Has the Minister responsibility for housing in relation to the Department of Defence?

They deal only with office accommodation. The Deputy will have to raise it on the Defence Estimate.

We look after Garda houses but not Defence.

Because of the flooding of the Blackwater we have what is called a disaster area and the solution is to drain the river. The town of Cobh was built a long time ago on a shale hill which has now started to slip away. Substantial areas have fallen, causing a death last year. The Minister could look at areas such as Cobh and come up with solutions as the remedy is not within the ambit of the urban district council nor have they the finances to do the work. We are talking about a massive propping up job that will have to be done to save rows of houses, streets and lives. Special funding should be provided. Here, like the Blackwater, we are not talking about an annual bill but about a once-off situation. The Minister might say that there is already a shortage of funds, but spending on this type of thing would create employment and protect valuable property. Some of the houses that had to be taken down were valued at £30,000 and £40,000 each and the removal of the rubble and all the rest of it cost nearly as much again. We have been left with a massive blank area which will have to be rebuilt. I believe that we have the same sort of problem to a lesser extent in Kinsale but we should try to find solutions to this.

I was delighted to see that the Minister is doing something for environmental protection, even if it is in his own county. I would like the Department to look at all the treatment works that are at present being ignored by another Department and come to the rescue of these other Departments who do not seem to give a damn about the environment.

I appealed for an agricultural college in——

Agricultural colleges do not come in here.

That relates to the Department of Agriculture, but we maintain the houses.

We are expanding some of them.

Yes, but we only do the maintenance and extensions. We are not responsible for decisions as to where to place them.

It is very hard to know where to draw the line between the Department of the Environment, the Board of Works and other Departments.

We were looking for an agricultural college in Kerry, too.

If so, I will support it because they are worthwhile whereever they are. We have few things going for us here. We have green grass, tourists and fishing. Anything the Minister can do to help in any of these areas is welcome. The Department should clean and build up the harbours and make them suitable for fishing fleets. This would help fishermen, create processing industries and therefore create more employment. If agriculture is built up, it also creates jobs. We should build up the tourist industry by making Ireland an attractive place. The Office of Public Works must be complimented for their work over the years. However our sign-posting for overseas tourists leaves a lot to be desired. While I am all for the Irish language there is no point writing something out in Gaelic for someone who comes from——

The Board of Works are not responsible for sign posting. They have their own signs for their own monuments and so on.

That is what I am talking about. The Chair is stopping me every minute now and he is cramping my style.

We are trying to keep on the right road.

The Chair is trying to keep me between the two white lines. On signposting, we should do a good job. The tour operators should get down to that. At village level we should have local people showing tourists around. There could be suitable reimbursement for it and there could be a charge for this service. That would be doing an extra good job. I compliment the Minister on this Estimate and I hope that my remarks have been constructive.

I congratulate the Minister of State on this comprehensive document and I compliment Deputy Hegarty on his constructive speech in which he did not try to make political capital out of the Estimate. Where the money is going to is well explained in the Estimate. Deputy Hegarty complained that he was being kept between the two white lines, but he crossed them a good number of times. I hope that the Chair will allow me the same latitude now and again.

The Chair will not.

I am sure that the Deputy will stay within the boundaries of Galway.

I will try.

The Deputy's only hope will be if the Ceann Comhairle returns in time. He is a more lenient man.

It was a pleasure listening to the Deputy's contribution, although he was parochial. I may have to be, too, because any Deputy worth his salt has to be.

That is what it is about.

I could not agree more. I regret that of the £67 million only £10 million is going towards arterial drainage. I know that the Minister is interested in ancient monuments and keeping them in good repair. I met him while he was on a tour in Portumna and he showed a very keen interest in the old castle there and in all the old monuments. These are of great importance to us and, as Deputy Hegarty said, they cannot be left on the long finger. If they are allowed to get into too bad a state of repair they cost too much to repair. A lot of work has been done on monuments. A good job was done on Portumna Castle and the new Portumna harbour is very nice. The friary at Abbey in Loughrea, and the Franciscan Abbey, where I hope to be buried, is being done up at present. There are rumours that the Board of Works do not want people to have graves in these old abbeys. This would be resented very much by people whose families have been buried in such abbeys. It has been hinted that one should get out——

Before one gets in.

Very well put. I congratulate the Minister on what he and the Board of Works have done in regard to old monuments. Deputy Hegarty referred to schools and Garda barracks. In the case of schools the Department of Education provide the money and the Board of Works build the school, but there are often long delays in communications between the two Departments. This is also the case as regards Garda barracks where the Department of Justice are involved. There is a new barracks being built in Meenlough and a school in Gurteen. The Minister should take note of the need for a barracks in Woodford, County Galway.

As regards courthouses some of them have no heating. That is a matter that should be looked into and the Minister should bring them up to standard.

I do not want to come between the white lines again, but courthouses are for county councils.

We spoke about Waterford Courthouse because Waterford County Council did not do their duty and we had to build one. However, they are the responsibility of county councils.

The position as regards courthouses is very relevant in my county. Buildings erected by the Board of Works should accommodate disabled people. Most public buildings are a disgrace as far as that is concerned. They always have lots of steps so that disabled people or people like myself who suffer from arthritis find it difficult to get into them. This is an area which is being neglected and something should be done about it.

I am very disappointed that more money has not come from the EEC for arterial drainage. I do not blame the Minister for this. We hear a lot about the western package infrastructure. It is all very important, but it is of no avail to fertilise land and drain fields if the major drains are not opened. A tributary of the Shannon, the Suck, flows through my constituency. There is an area between Ballinasloe and Portumna which is flooded for six months of the year by the Shannon. The PLV of that land is £1.50 per acre and that is disgraceful for land which is flooded. A survey was done on the Shannon and the report stated that the only way to drain the Shannon was to bank it. If one were to bank that area of the Shannon one would have to go back a hundred yards from the river at summer level. One would run into problems because this is good land in the summer months, It is only in winter time that it is flooded. The drainage of the Shannon has been a political football for years. Is there any new thinking on it?

The Shannon is very important for tourists but farmers in the area are of the opinion that the sluice gates are not open enough and cause flooding back down the Shannon. They say there would not be as much flooding if the gates were open. I do not know how true this is. However, the Minister could check it and, if everything is being done to keep them open, fair enough.

A big part of Galway and Roscommon is flooded severely by the Suck. I cannot understand why we are still governed by an old Act of Parliament which allows the Suck Drainage Board, of which I am a member, to maintain the Suck but not to remove any obstacle from it. We are allowed to get to point X but we cannot pass it. If we could remove an obstacle 100 yards down from that point there would be less flooding. If we were allowed to clean the Suck tributaries where we think they need to be cleaned, we could prevent a good deal of flooding. This is a ridiculous law which has been there since the time of Queen Victoria. I would ask the Minister to have a serious look at that matter. We pass regulations time and time again dealing with cleaning the tributaries of the Suck where we think they need to be cleaned.

In an election year I suppose we all talk about our hobby horses. I hope the Minister will be able to tell us something about the cost-benefit survey of the River Dunkellin which floods my constituency from one end to the other. I suppose the Leas-Cheann Comhairle is fed up hearing me talking about it.

We have heard about it.

You will hear about it again, and the country will hear about it again. As long as I am alive I will keep talking about it because it is the greatest disaster of all time. This is a most disadvantaged area but we are not included in the severely handicapped areas. I go to Galway twice a week and I meet people driving along the road during the winter. They look at me as if to say: "You are a public representative and this is what we get." I do not blame them. I understand that there is a shortage of engineers, but the Office of Public Works should be in a position to pay engineers to enable this work to be done.

A cost-benefit survey was to be carried out on this river. I would ask the Minister to forget about the benefit survey, because it is there for anybody to see. The costing was done years ago. When I was a member of Macra na Feirme we got the costing done privately and it was very much the same as the costing by the Office of Public Works. The river was to be cleaned but, unfortunately, the question of the cost-benefit survey arose and the work has not been done. I understand it is No. 1 on the list of small schemes, but I may be wrong. If I am here next year—and that depends on the people—I hope when I am speaking on this Estimate I will not have to ask the Minister to have this costing carried out.

I do not think enough money came from the EEC for arterial drainage. I am not blaming the Minister or his Department. I admit I was wrong in saying too much of that money was spent on field drainage. I understand the sum was £42 million, and £14 million was spent on arterial drainage and £28 million on field drainage.

We tried to carry out schemes under the local improvements scheme and we found that the levels are wrong. You cannot drain land if the levels are wrong. Hundreds of acres of reasonably good land cannot be developed. There is no point in manuring it because of the water. That is why drainage is so important. It is vitally important to any development in the west. If a man could get five or ten acres drained he could improve his income and his holding might be made viable. This is why I am talking so much about drainage. I hope I will not have to mention this matter again. I am convinced that, if you talk about something for long enough, somebody will listen. I have been talking for a long time about the Dunkellin and the Suck.

I understand the position with regard to the Shannon. It is a complicated job. I also understand that the Suck is a tributary of the Shannon and, until something is done about the Shannon, nothing can be done about the Suck. I should like to see the law changed to enable us to take the silt out of the tributaries without being confined to point X. I should like to know if there is any new thinking on the Shannon and if anything can be done about it. The banking of the Shannon would cause many complications because of the quality of the land in the summer. It is a shame that something is not done about the poor law valuation on that land which is flooded for six months of the year and carries a valuation of about £1.50 in the £.

I am glad Deputy Hegarty spoke. I do not think we should try to score points. We are expected to do that. People know that Deputy Hegarty will speak from the Opposition point of view and they expect me to contradict him. In no way will I do that. I will give credit where credit is due, and I will criticise where I think criticism is necessary. The Minister gave us an excellent account of what the Office of Public Works are doing. I know the money in the Estimate is needed for other works too, but in an estimate for £67 million only £10 million is set aside for arterial drainage. Even though the other work is very important, arterial drainage is the most important work to which the money could be put.

Deputy Hegarty mentioned the maintenance of work done by the Office of Public Works and the local authorities. The local authorities are having difficulty in getting in money. Rates have been removed from a great deal of land and from houses. Local authorities have to depend on the percentage they get down from the Department. This is where the EEC should come in. I wonder are we making the proper approach to the EEC.

It is important that drainage maintenance be made part of the western package. This has been neglected for years. It is useless draining land if the drains are not maintained afterwards, but county councils cannot afford to do the work because of tightness of money, the source of which has been dwindling. Naturally, drainage is important in areas other than the west but we have been affected repeatedly by drains filling up with silt and consequent flooding.

I compliment the Minister on his speech on the activities of the Board of Works. I agree with most of what was included in regard to agriculture, drains, storehouses and so on. All the works mentioned are essential. I compliment the Minister particularly on his interest in national monuments, very important as a tourist attraction. At home in Kil-connel we have an old abbey on my wife's land. The road to it was inaccessible for tourists but work on it has been done. The Board of Works are doing excellent work in that connection but I would ask that they would consider, in this Year of the Disabled, providing access for people in wheelchairs.

I will conclude by returning to drainage which is a serious problem in the west. We are disappointed and annoyed by stories about scarcity of engineers. People will not accept it any longer. The Irish electorate are much younger and more educated these days and we will not any longer get away with trying to cod them.

I could go on all day and repeat all Deputy Hegarty said but that would not be of much benefit to the people in the Press Gallery or to the people taking notes. They do not want to hear repetition. When I was growing up I was taught to say as much as possible in as short a time as possible, but since I came in here I have learned that the idea is to say as little as possible in as long a time as possible. I will wind up by again asking the Minister to do a good job of drainage under the western package.

I compliment the Minister on his comprehensive statement, but I shall open my contribution by referring to something not included in his speech. The Minister should be aware that by decision of the EEC Commission on 5 December 1980, a sum of £400,000 was allocated for the purpose of a Shannon drainage study. That decision was addressed to the Department of Finance in Dublin and the purpose of the allocation was to carry out a final study of the Shannon flooding problem. The problem has been talked about since 1956 and I am worried and concerned lest the Government would let this opportunity slip. If they do, it will be an example of outrageous discrimination against the people of the Shannon catchment area, Counties Cavan, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Roscommon, Galway, Westmeath, Offaly and Tipperary. Those people made their views known about flooding many a long day ago. They have tried to overcome major difficulties in this respect and they have the full support of all the farming organisations.

I can assure the Minister that there will be fierce agitation throughout the Shannon basin if work is not done to relieve flooding there. I have been asking questions in the House and the Minister's replies have referred to staff shortages. That is not sufficient reason and I reject it. I do not think it is correct. A conference in Athlone in 1976 was attended by a senior Board of Works representative who said he was strongly in favour of comprehensive Shannon drainage. Under the auspices of the surrounding county committees of agriculture a meeting was held in the courthouse in Tullamore on 24 April last year and that, too, was attended by senior officials from the Department. They stated they hoped investigations would commence before the end of 1980. On 15 November 1979 the then Minister for Economic Planning and Development, Deputy O'Donoghue, met a deputation from the Shannon catchment area and accepted the need for the setting up of a team to carry out investigations.

At that time there appeared to be approval to do this. However, I cannot see any allocation for this survey in the Estimate or in the speech of the Minister of State. It will be necessary for the Office of Public Works to provide £600,000 in order to get an allocation of £400,000 from the EEC but there does not appear to be any allocation made for this work by the Department.

The Deputy asked me a question about this matter recently. I told him that when we were preparing our Estimate we had not been notified by the EEC at that time that the 40 per cent grant was available to us.

I am not as familiar with what is happening in Brussels as are the Department. I became aware of this matter in January but the Commission's decision was made on 5 December. I cannot understand why something has not been done or why you did not refer to this matter in your speech this morning. In my opinion you have been evasive.

The Deputy should refer his remarks through the Chair. I am concerned about the records of this House. I do not want to take responsibility for the £400,000 from the EEC.

In his reply the Minister stated that there were consultations between the Departments of Agriculture, Economic Planning and Development, Finance, the ESB and An Foras Talúntais and that such consultations were likely to continue. I am aware of this because as a representative from the area in question I have been trying to co-ordinate these efforts with those of the local committee of agriculture and the local authority. We have been hearing about these consultations for years.

I came here today specifically to ask the Minister when money will be provided for the survey. In his written reply to me he stated "No staff has yet been specially recruited for the investigation and no funds for the project have yet been received from the EEC". It saddens me that this is the case. The project will cost £1 million and it must be completed in a two-year period. The application was made to the EEC on 14 May 1980. They decided to give us the money but we have not allocated staff to carry out the work. It is the duty of the Government to provide the necessary back-up services for projects. The money has been allocated to us by Brussels but we have not collected one penny of it. This is a serious matter and I want the Minister to let us know when he intends recruiting staff to carry out an investigation.

It might be of benefit to the House to outline the situation. What is involved here is a very considerable area — approximately one-fifth of the country. There are 12 counties involved and there are approximately 470,000 people living in the areas concerned. Along the Shannon there are about 40 towns and each town has a population in excess of 700 persons. The land acreage involved is approximately 250,000 acres. I live in one of the areas and I see roads, farmyards and private dwellings flooded every winter. Bord na Móna carry out work in the catchment area and any drainage work carried out would also help them.

It worries me that this matter has become a political football and Deputy Callanan admitted this some time ago. This matter was raised in the House last Wednesday and even though a sum of £400,000 from the EEC is available for the work the subject did not merit much publicity in the national papers on the following day. On the contrary, it is nearly regarded as a laugh. I do not blame the political commentators but the matter is serious and should not be treated in a light-hearted way.

The drainage of the Shannon area is a major problem for the country. Every Government shied away from it. I imagine that in the Department of Finance there is a considerable amount of hesitation about accepting this money from Brussels and going ahead with the survey because once the survey is done and a study made there will be heavy pressure on the Government of the day to see that the work is carried out. The people in the Department of Finance are far-seeing. They will be in the Department irrespective of the government in office and they will be put under pressure to provide additional finances to meet the work, even though I hope Brussels will help in giving a major contribution.

Deputy Callanan said that drainage work on the river Suck has been held up pending work on the Shannon. The same applies to work on the river Brosna in my area. I am sure it is affecting other areas also. There is goodwill on all sides of this House to carry out this major study. This will be the final study on this matter. After that it will be up to whatever Government are in power to have this major work carried out. The net result of the survey will be that a comprehensive job will be recommended. I hope the Government will do it like that rather than on a piecemeal basis. Senior officials in the Board of Works have constantly emphasised that the drainage of the Shannon can be carried out only on a comprehensive basis.

There are many other matters which will be affected if the recommended study is carried out. The drainage of the Shannon will affect water supplies. Fishing will have to be included in this study because it is very important for our tourism. Fish farming, boating and cruising will also be affected. The reopening of the Ballinamore-Ballyconnell canal is part of this work and it will make the Shannon the finest river in Europe. It will lead to the north and south being united and will have a great effect on tourism.

It is important that we know what way we plan big industries coming into the country and the amount of water we allocate to them. The matters I have mentioned will have to be looked into in this proposed study. I am concerned about the absence of any reference in the Minister's speech to the £400,000 EEC allocation. I hope he will be able to tell us that the Government intend to take up this £400,000 and that the Government allocation of £600,000 will be provided. I hope he will also be able to tell us that he intends to take on consultants, engineers, architects and any other people necessary to help his Department to carry out this work.

If the Deputy read yesterday's paper he would see that the Civil Service Commission are recruiting engineers for the Office of Public works. There was also an advertisement in the papers about two months ago looking for engineers. The Board of Works cannot get enough engineers.

The Minister will have an opportunity to reply later.

How many engineers is the Minister of State looking for?

We made offers to 16 recently.

I hope the Minister will be able to tell us that those engineers will be provided and used for the Shannon survey. I want a definite Government commitment about when the investigations will start and when the EEC money will be taken up. This is of great importance to the people in the Shannon catchment area but it also extends to other rivers joining the Shannon, which cannot be drained until the Shannon is done. With regard to national, secondary and vocational schools——

We do not look after secondary schools.

I want to refer particularly to national schools. When a national school is being erected the main building is provided but no shelter is provided for the children who arrive by bus in the morning. I have had a number of letters from different school managers about this matter. One manager told me about a new school which was officially opened in 1980 but no shelter was provided for the children when they get off the buses. Those schools cost very large sums of money. It is a mistake not to provide a shelter. The school, for insurance purposes, is not opened until the teacher arrives at the official opening time. They do not allow the children into the school and as a result many of them are obliged to wait in the rain outside for between 30 minutes and one hour. Special shelters should be provided so that the children when they arrive at the school can stand in out of the rain. The provision of such shelters would not cost much money. Saint Joseph's national school, Tullamore, a comparatively new school, has been looking for such a shelter for sometime. A shelter is badly needed there. Another relatively new school also in need of such a shelter is the Shinrone national school. I have been in touch with the Department of Education about that problem. I do not know whether that is a matter for the Minister of state or the Department of Education but the Minister should have discussions with the Department of Education and prepare a general policy on this matter. Those children travel in a warm bus from their homes but must hang around for a considerable time before the school opens and after school hours they must remain outside until the bus arrives to take them home. A suitable shelter could be included in the drawings of new schools.

I should like to deal with the situation that exists at Longford national school, Kinnity, Birr, County Offaly. That oneroom pre-fab school was erected approximately 15 years ago. In the course of a letter to me on 15 April 1980 the Minister for Education stated that he had made inquiries and found that the Department had sanctioned a grant towards the cost of an extension to it. The letter stated that it was understood that the Commissioners of Public Works had authorised the architect to prepare working drawings for the extension. I gather there is confusion in relation to this matter and I do not think the Office of Public Works was asked to carry out this work. I do not think I was meant to get the communication which I did from the Minister. The roof on this pre-fab is sagging and the parents are concerned that it may collapse or be blown off. It is as bad a school as there is in the country. You should inquire into this matter and communicate with me. I am anxious to know if it is the intention to provide a new school in Longford, the most desirable thing, or, alternatively, if an effort will be made to improve the existing accommodation. This matter has been going on for three years. Children of the area should be catered for. The teacher at the school is an excellent person but the pre-fab is in a desperate condition.

I should now like to deal with the question of Ballinahown national school.

Tenders have been accepted.

Deputy Keegan is not the Minister. I should like to ask Deputy Enright not to use the word "you" across the House. He should address the Chair and say "the Minister". I would not like to be responsible for schools in the Deputy's constituency.

I will look after my own schools and I shall do everything possible to ensure that good schools are provided. It is important for the youth of the area.

For the record the Deputy should not use the word "you" across the House but say "the Minister".

As far back as 1978 tenders were invited for work on that school. They were invited again some months back. I should like to know the present position in relation to this school because it is in a bad condition and local people are concerned about it.

I am anxious to bring to the attention of the Minister of State the position in relation to St. Columbas Christian Brothers School in Tullamore. When the school was erected in 1959 it was to accommodate 140 pupils but now it caters for 340 pupils. It is an excellent school in all respects. However, they have only one science room which must cater for all science classes up to intermediate certificate and the senior chemistry and senior biology classes.

Is the Deputy referring to a national school or a secondary school? The Minister of State is concerned only with national schools. If it is a secondary school the matter should be raised on the Estimate for the Department of Education.

I will take the matter up with the Department of Education. I should now like to refer to St. Conleth's reformatory which is the responsibility of the Office of Public Works. As the Minister and his Department are aware, Saint Conleth's is now being used as a store for items of historical interest from the National Museum, a lot of which were stored previously in Kilmainham. I remember seeing a television programme showing how some of them were deteriorating and rotting at that time because they had been left out in the open. I compliment the Office of Public Works on taking the initiative in providing an alternative site for these items of historical interest, many of which would have been rendered completely useless were it not for that action being taken. They are at present being stored at Saint Conleth's in Daingean.

What concerns me is that they are merely being stored there, kept under lock and key. This is a huge building, with extensive walls all round it and so on, offering excellent security. Rather than merely having those items of historical interest stored there I would hope that, through consultation with the National Museum, they could be displayed there. This would entail an extension of the National Museum to Saint Conleth's in Daingean. County Offaly, in the midlands, with the Office of Public Works having overall supervisory responsibility. It would also be accessible to many tours in that area. It is a terrible waste to see this building being used merely as a store. What is even more sad is that all of those items will be left there until some other alternative premises are found. In my view it is not commonsense to have all of these items kept under lock and key because they are of tremendous public and historical interest which should be on display for our people.

With this in mind I would ask the Minister to look into this matter. If such a suggestion could be implemented I can assure the Minister that he would have the goodwill of all of the people in the midlands. Daingean has every facility—tourists can have meals there. Tullamore is nearby, and there are parking facilities and so on available in the town of Daingean. At present local people are dissatisfied that this fine building is being used merely as a store. Indeed, a museum there would provide employment in the area also, which would be most welcome. This building and grounds covers acres. There is also a farm there which has been taken over by the Land Commission.

I know this suggestion would not normally come within the ambit of the Minister's responsibility, but perhaps his Department would consider having discussions with the Industrial Development Authority to ascertain whether or not they would be interested in a portion of this building and surrounding lands because of the acreage involved. This building is as fine and extensive as can be found. There are also many facilities there—squash courts, tennis courts, ball alleys: I might not be correct about squash——

It is up to the Department of Education to take a decision on that. If there is to be a museum there, it is they who would make the decision. We do not have the right to make a decision to have a museum there.

The Minister's Department are the owners of this building and it is a crying shame to see a building of this nature closed down.

Yes, but it would be up to the Department of Education to take the decision.

As the building comes within the ambit of the Minister's Department. I would put it to the Minister to make representations to the Government, as I have already done, and to the Department of Education to have this initiative taken because it is of utmost importance to all of the people involved.

I want to bring one other matter to the Minister's attention. The old library in Tullamore was purchased by the Minister's Department approximately 12 to 18 months ago. It is quite an extensive building which was to have been replaced by new offices for Government services. Perhaps the Minister would investigate this matter and let me know what plans his Department have in this respect. I note that it is not included under any of the subheads in the Department's Estimate. There are a number of Government offices situated in Tullamore that are unsatisfactory. For example, the building housing the Land Commission is not at all suitable or satisfactory and the people there are working under difficult conditions. There are other offices there as well. I understand there is a new district veterinary office planned for Tullamore also. I would hope there would be some endeavour to have most of these services located in the one centre in that area. The people of Tullamore and surrounding areas are anxious that these offices would be provided in Tullamore at the earliest possible opportunity. Perhaps the Minister would deal with this matter also when replying.

I want to refer to two other matters before concluding. As the Minister is aware, the Slieve Bloom range of mountains runs right across the midlands, across Laois and Offaly, and is a most important tourist area. The Minister is probably aware also that Lakelands are providing quite an amount of money towards the development of the Slieve Bloom area as a tourist attraction. The Forest and Wildlife Service are co-operating in this matter, as are also the county councils of Laois and Offaly. The reason I am raising this matter here this morning is that the Office of Public Works have been involved in this in a very small way only. I feel the Minister's Department could undertake a considerable amount of work and offer much help in the development of this mountain range as a tourist attraction. The construction of some roads has been undertaken by the Forestry Service, which have then been taken over and developed by the county councils. Throughout this range of mountains there are to be found many places and items of historical interest. Some of these should be examined carefully by the Minister's Department to ascertain whether or not they should be preserved as national monuments and maintained as such. If the Minister wishes, I can obtain details of them.

Many fine buildings and monuments throughout the country have been restored by the Office of Public Works. I would hope that the Minister and his Department would carry out an in-depth study of this whole area in order to ascertain whether or not his Department can provide assistance. There is a Slieve Bloom Association, a positive and active group of forward-thinking people. Perhaps officials of the Minister's Department might have consultations with these people. I might add that these people are more conversant with the historical aspects of the area than I am. Indeed, they have undertaken an in-depth study of this whole area going back hundreds of years. There are many fine books on it.

There are aspects of the Slieve Bloom range that are worthy of support from the Minister's Department and I know that the Department will be forthcoming and anxious to provide help. This range has been extensively developed by the Forestry and Wildlife Service, the Lakelands organisation and the county council. I would ask the Minister, over the next number of weeks, to see if he can arrange consultations with the forestry service, the Lakelands organisation and with the Slieve Bloom Association because there are many items that the Department can assist with.

I started by discussing drainage and I will conclude on it. In regard to the Barrow and the Nore there have been a number of deputations going back over the last ten years and no positive move has been made in regard to those rivers. The Barrow covers Portarlington and Mountmellick and the Nore covers Durrow and the area around there. When the Barrow drainage scheme was handed over to the authority that works under the Laois and Offaly drainage board they were told to maintain the river in the condition it was in. They are doing everything they can to maintain the river. But further powers should be granted to the drainage boards and to the county councils to enable them to improve these rivers. At present they are limited in what they can do and all they can do is maintain them. More money should be provided to enable them not only to maintain the rivers but to extend the schemes. Perhaps the Minister would look into this.

I presume the Deputy knows we are taking over the Barrow for navigation purposes.

I want to go a stage further in regard to drainage because it is very important. We have had, in relation to the Nore, a number of deputations consisting of public representatives from Carlow and Kilkenny and also Laois and Offaly. There is a huge expanse of land all across the south of Laois which is flooded and I would ask the Minister to do something positive about it because there is continued unhappiness in regard to it.

The Minister's speech has covered a wide ranging list of topics, all of which are of the utmost importance. I am glad to see that quite a lot of improvemenst in regard to these matters have been implemented. The Minister of State said he hoped he would be present when the final survey of the Shannon is carried out. I hope that the work will be carried out soon. If the Minister is responsible for allocating that £600,000 and having the work carried out I will take off my hat to him and shake hands with him. No matter who does it the people in the Shannon catchment area will be very grateful. When it is done it will be a major breakthrough for all of us because it has been talked about and, sadly, laughed at. It is probably the finest river in Europe and it is up to us to ensure that this very valuable asset is utilised properly and that whatever benefits can be obtained from it are obtained. Up to now nothing has been done about it and the people are blaming the politicians no matter what side they are on, and possibly they are right. This survey is a two-year survey and it is of the utmost importance that it be carried out at the earliest opportunity. Then we can get down to the job of seeing that the work is done. I am sorry to have laboured this so long but, living there, I can see the problems. I have often gone to Banagher and looked across and one would think one was looking out into the Atlantic because the whole area in front is flooded. There is a similar situation further up towards Shannonbridge. I will be listening with interest to the Minister's concluding remarks to see what he is going to do with regard to this survey.

First, I would like to congratulate the Minister of State on bringing in this Vote. I would also like to congratulate him on the magnificent work he is carrying out in the Office of Public Works. I note that the sum of £½ million has been included for the purchase of sites to build new offices under the programme of decentralisation of Government staff. This is a clear indication of the Government's intention to proceed as fast as possible with the purchase of sites where sites are not already available and to erect the new offices. I am glad that Killarney is one of the centres.

I am also glad to know that the Vote provides for the purchase of land for national parks and the national monuments and waterways services and that provision is made for the purchase of additional land where necessary. I would like to congratulate the Office of Public Works for the manner in which they acquired land in the Killarney area, particularly the manner in which they have sealed off completely the Lakes of Killarney and the immediate zone around there from undesirable developments. The OPW put a good deal of planning, thought and hard work into the acquisition of these lands and they deserve the greatest credit and congratulations for so doing. A feasibility study is being carried out at the moment in relation to Killarney and I would like to see this study expedited as there is great potential for recreational and other purposes in the great national park which surrounds Killarney and which is right on the verge of the town. Not alone is it the greatest asset, it is also one of the greatest national recreational assets in the country. In recent years many additional employees have been taken on there and I believe that this park when fully developed and during the course of its development will provide one tremandous source of employment in this district.

The provision of £1.6 million in respect of a programme for the decentralisation of Government Departments is well worth noting. It is for the building works for this year, and how serious the Government consider this programme to be is shown by the fact that they intend to carry out a substantial amount of the building work this year.

The OPW are doing tremendous work in regard to national parks and monuments and for this they do not always get credit, particularly in relation to monuments. This Department have done tremendous work in the field of acquiring, preserving and maintaining monuments.

I am glad that the new sewage treatment plant at Muckross House, Killarmey, is nearing completion. I have been advocating this scheme for a long number of years and it is gratifying to know that at long last it is almost completed. I have no doubt from a recent visit to the area that the scheme will prevent any danger of future pollution in that part of Killarney. It is a scheme that could be used as an example by local authorities in many counties in relation to prevention of lake pollution.

A sum of £1,790,000 is provided in respect of works which will be undertaken by the Department of Justice and of this more than £1.5 million is in respect of work for the Garda. This provides for the erection of new Garda stations and residences and for the improvement of existing Garda accommodation. I urge the Minister of State to take a particular interest in the Garda station in Killarney which requires either replacement or substantial improvement works to be carried out. This Garda station is in a very important tourist town and many visitors call to the station making routine inquiries. Such inquiries are dealt with in police stations in countries throughout the world and it is natural for people coming to Ireland to go to the local Garda station to make certain types of inquiries. It is only right and fitting that a town like Killarney should have one of the best-planned and most attractive Garda stations in the country. I urge the Minister of State to take cognisance of this fact. I urge him also to examine closely the position in relation to the residence attached to the Garda station in Beaufort in south Kerry. This is a rather old building which should be completely renovated or replaced as soon as possible. I would like very much, therefore, if the Minister could see his way to bringing both Killarney and Beaufort up on the list.

I note that £60,000 is provided in respect of an extension to Valentia Coast Radio Station for which tenders will shortly be invited. This is another scheme which I have been advocating for some time and therefore I am gratified to see it being brought to a conclusion. I have no doubt that this money will be very well spent and again I congratulate the Minister and the OPW for setting out to invite tenders shortly for this scheme.

I note as well that the OPW are undertaking the provision of the buildings required for the telecommunications programme. This is a very important programme and providing these buildings will add considerable work to what I would regard as the already understaffed OPW. It is well worth noting that of this programme about 150 buildings at present are under construction. This gives an idea of the magnitude and extent of the programme.

Of the £10,470,000 which is being sought and provided in connection with the arterial drainage scheme being undertaken under the Arterial Drainage Act, 1945, I will reiterate what I stated in previous debates on this Estimate. I have maintained for a number of years past that about 10 per cent should be taken from this subhead and that the money should be utilised in doing what I would call essential repair work and maintenance work on smaller rivers and on streams where such work is required and where the rivers and streams do not qualify for grants under the western drainage scheme. These rivers are overgrown with bushes and little islands have been created. There are also heaps of silt. These rivers could be cleared at a low cost, with the co-operation of the adjoining land owners. I am thinking particularly of the River Flesk which flows through the parish of Glenflesk and drains into the Lakes of Killarney. When there is heavy rain the people in the valley are in danger of losing their lives. During a serious flood in the area last autumn it was very fortunate that a number of people were not drowned. Some families were awakened at 4 o'clock in the morning when water came into their houses as a result of the flooding of the valley and the River Flesk could not cope with the volume of water.

The Forest and Wildlife Service of the Department of Fisheries and Forestry have added to the problem by planting and draining thousands of acres on a hillside where the river commences. This means that water flows into the river faster than ever before and comes down through the Flesk Valley into the Lakes of Killarney at a far quicker pace than before. It brings with it a volume of water which the river banks cannot carry and which is impeded by bushes, silt and little islands. Some of the 10 per cent which I have been talking about down the years should be taken out of the arterial drainage fund and devoted to solving the problems in rivers like the Flesk. I strongly urge the Minister to do his utmost to see that a sum of between £50,000 and £100,000 is provided this year to have something done with this river. A survey should be carried out in conjunction with local farmers and land owners. They would be most co-operative and would be prepared to take away the debris thrown up on the river banks following the clearance of the river by the Office of Public Works or some other agency. We are only looking for a minor scheme to clear the bushes, the islands and the silt. It would not cost very much, it would not take too long to do it and very little machinery would be required to do the job. Most of it could be done by manpower. I strongly urge the Minister to take positive action in this regard at an early date. I have submitted a detailed document to the Minister of State in connection with this matter. It was prepared by a local action committee on behalf of people who have suffered for a long time and who are most anxious to get something done.

Could the Minister say in his reply whether the River Lung will be drained under the Arterial Drainage Act?

Subhead G.3 covers the cost and maintenance of completed drainage and embankment schemes and the cost is recovered from the county councils concerned. I would like the Office of Public Works to accept responsibility for the maintenance of completed drainage and embankment schemes. I know this is a hardy annual in Estimate debates, but there is a lot of merit in it. County councils should no longer be asked to pay the cost.

I am also glad to see that the Minister has provided money to cover the cost of certain coast protection schemes. Something positive should be done in relation to getting a coast protection scheme in the Maharees, near Castlegregory, County Kerry. This is an area which has been eaten away by coast erosion. It is a valuable tourist resort and has beautiful long sandy beaches. These beaches are almost circular so no matter what part of the area visitors come to they can always find a spot which will be sheltered, warm and suitable for swimming, regardless of the prevailing winds. The real problem here is coast erosion. Local people are afraid, and I am also concerned, that this area will become an island if steps are not taken in the near future to carry out a scheme of coast protection work.

On visiting the area recently I was amazed to find that so much of the coast had been eroded by the sea during a period of two years. If the problem is not tackled very soon the area will become an island and a much greater problem and much more expense will be involved so far as the State and the local authority are concerned. I appreciate that some steps have been taken by the county council and that the necessary prohibition order has been made by them and ratified by the Minister for Transport. This clears the way for the Office of Public Works to provide the necessary moneys for the work and to enter into negotiations with Kerry County Council regarding the planning of a scheme of work and its implementation. This is one of the most urgent problems in the county in this context.

Another matter that is causing concern relates to the proposal by the Office of Public Works to impose a charge for boating on the Lakes of Killarney. Having regard to the teething problems in this connection, I would ask the Minister to indicate his willingness to meet a deputation from the people concerned. It will be some time before certain people will understand the reasons for the necessity for a licensing system for boating on the lakes. I am convinced that there should be a licensing system for this activity because in the absence of a licensing system it is virtually impossible to implement rules, regulations and, in particular, safety standards. There is no point in waiting until such time as there may be a major tragedy on the lakes before taking action to ensure that proper standards are applied.

I wish to pay tribute to the Office of Public Works for the tremendous job they are doing at Ross Castle, Killarney. The work involved is slow and cumbersome. Because of the dangerous condition in which the building was, this restoration work cannot be speeded up. I have been in that area many times and I have visited the castle during the course of the restoration work. I have found that the men are doing an excellent job in very difficult circumstances.

On the question of national schools, I would urge the Minister to expedite the approval of plans for Raheen national school in the parish of Glenflesk and to invite tenders at the earliest date possible so that the work can get underway. I hope, also, that work will go ahead as fast as possible on the new school at Ballyferriter.

I note that £4 million is being allocated for harbour work. In this respect I would urge that the Office of Public Works undertake a survey of the Dingle and Ballydavid areas. A major scheme was undertaken at Dingle in about 1973 but fishermen and others in that area tell me the clearing of a shallow channel into Dingle harbour is very necessary. In addition, they are interested that a survey be conducted regarding the potential of Ballydavid pier and harbour. I would urge that there be a survey conducted also in respect of Valentia harbour. Considerable work has been executed at the pier there but there is an important fish-processing plant at Reenard Point and the proprietors of that plant find it very difficult to land their catches because of the condition of the pier and because of the nature of the harbour. In that area also there is Portmagee pier and harbour which is based on very deep water. This, also, is an area that is well worth investigating in terms of its potential for the future. These areas are known locally as the Valentia harbour areas. I urge that they be investigated in the interests of the fishing industry there. I compliment the Minister and his staff on the introduction of this comprehensive Estimate.

Apart from the question of the national interest, this Estimate provides us with the opportunity of raising matters that relate to our own constituencies and of highlighting the problems that arise from time to time in our areas. It is not generally understood that the Minister of State in charge of the Board of Works has a direct responsibility on his own to undertake works of national importance without getting clearance from the different Departments to which he is responsible for the erection and maintenance of buildings and so on. So, any criticism we may have of the system does not necessarily apply to the Minister who is regarded by us as a man who can lend us his ear and listen to our problems. I have found him very helpful and we have done quite well in Clare in financial allocations since he took office.

I shall mention a few areas where he has recognised the tourist potential. He has provided the first stage of a national park in a very prominent area which is known world-wide, the Burren in North Clare. I hope he will arrange in the near future to provide the necessary access roads, appoint a biologist and possibly an archaeologist. This would help tourists who explore, winter and summer, this unique area. We hope the Minister will extend the area under his control. He would be contributing to tourism in the country and particularly in the county, because tourists from practically all over the world are continually coming there. Even a few weeks ago I met quite a few of them there. We appreciate the Minister's concern in that respect.

I should also like to thank the Minister for his interest in amenity development in the Mount Shannon harbour area which I suppose could come under the River Shannon Navigation. I would ask the Minister to look towards Killaloe and see if amenities there can be improved because we have there the winter berthage for boats plying the river during the tourist season. We do not expect all the allocations at once. We are quite happy to get reasonable consideration. Development of the potential of our waterways and the recreational facilities which can be provided are long-term benefits in the sense that while dependent on tourism we are creating amenities which are valued both by tourists and our own people.

There is rather heavy expenditure on the provision of frontier customs posts in quite a few areas. I hope, and I think we all hope, it will not be necessary to continue to provide these for very long in the future and that as a result of rational thinking on both sides of the Border and a more sensible approach by all parties we should be able to dispense with frontier posts for any purpose.

As the Minister has responsibility for the provision of office accommodation for the Army I will refer specifically to the question of an FCA headquarters in Clare. In the past 40 years it has been located in the county capital at Ennis. Recently, personnel have been transferred from there to an area adjacent to Limerick city and the company headquarters has also been moved out of the town. I do not know if the initiative should come from the Department of Defence or whether the Minister himself could examine the possibility of the erection of suitable headquarters for the FCA and the permanent defence training corps there——

We have to wait for a direction from the Minister for Defence.

We have the Minister for Defence in the county and we can whisper into his ear. There is a demand for this headquarters in Ennis where it has been located for the past 40 years. Both from a military point of view and from the point of view of saving travelling expenses with a scarce commodity like fuel involved, the centre of the county is where we would like to see the headquarters.

Having had discussions with the Minister on the possibility of erecting a central agricultural office in Ennis, I again assume he has to get the all-clear from the Minister for Agriculture.

No, we would provide that office ourselves.

There is a public demand for the erection of an office. I am not very good on the economics of this but believe that, long-term, having one's own building is much better than renting expensive premises over a long period of years. There is dissatisfaction amongst officers who are located in rented premises in the county, but that is a matter to be considered by the Department of Agriculture.

The problem most discussed by Deputies on both sides of the House is the provision of adequate finances to serve the needs of our different flooded areas. Any undertaking, whether it be in surveys or expenditure, is determined by the available finances. The EEC will provide 50 per cent of the money expended on arterial drainage but because of escalating costs and inflation the actual work is being done very slowly. If there is disappointment because of this slowing down, the Minister will understand it. Over 30 years or more there have been campaigns, public meetings and deputations about a river which floods the town of Ennis with its growing population. This is an expanding town in a growth area. Farmers upstream have endured the hardship of unproductive flooded lands for which they are paying heavy rates.

Recently, with our spokesman, for the Office of Works, Deputy Donnellan, we made a tour of some of the worst rivers in the county in this regard, at a period when flooding was very severe. It was most disturbing to have to accept that this is something which did not just occur last year or this year but which has been evident over a long period. One wonders about the Government's priorities, or those of the last or the penultimate Government, in relation to drainage, when it comes to expenditure of public finances. Until there is a greater recognition at the highest level of Government of the value of well-drained, well-fertilised land and until our members and our commissioners of the European Parliament come together to highlight the absence of adequate sums to deal properly with flooding in this country, there will be no real progress.

Because of the priorities in the expenditure being undertaken by the Minister, to which he is limited, vast sums of money are allocated to consulates, and embassies, which I suppose by present standards are required, which other nations provide and about which we would like to be equally concerned. However, it is very difficult to explain to people living on flooded land this expenditure of money outside the State in providing necessary facilities. I am not always too happy that certain people in these consulates and embassies are as helpful as they might be to Irish people who need particular attention at particular times. I have evidence—and fortunately it is isolated evidence—that on a few occasions those who deserved to be treated with courtesy were not so treated. I refer, in particular, to one occasion when an Irish Army officer did not get the attention he deserved from an unthinking, unconcerned junior office who perhaps had not established a proper standard of etiquette or decorum. However, I shall go no further into this matter, because it is the concern of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

I refer now to the areas of county Clare where I would like to see some surveys or studies made at this stage or some allocation of money, however small. I refer to the river Fergus in Ennis, the Inagh river, the Scariff river and the Dunbeg-Cooraclare river where work was undertaken many years ago but which is now flooding farmland owned by small farmers who do not wish to move out of their holdings. I hope that the Minister will pay some attention to these areas.

Taking into account the areas where priority must be given, without a national policy one cannot expect any definite progress in preventing coastal erosion. It is time to consider something which could have a very long-term effect if ignored. Years ago there was a lot of expenditure in many years, even on estuaries, but it is appreciated that everything is now much more expensive than it was. Nevertheless, this country being an island, areas should be pinpointed for the eradication and prevention of coastal erosion.

As regards the preservation and maintenance of our national monuments, I do not know what has been done in relation to certain prominent monuments in County Clare, for instance, in one historical area, Scattery Island, with its many round towers and churches which are a tourist attraction. This is a few miles offshore from the town of Kilrush and is worthy of a survey and the provision of amenities on the island, to make that tourist area along the coast more attractive. We have some rare buildings and rare churches to remind us of our glorious, historic past.

I am disappointed with the amount of arterial drainage carried out and the non-allocation of any money to relieve flooding in County Clare, but I am still hopeful the Minister will allocate some small sum to the areas where the need is greatest.

This Estimate, for more than £67 million, covers such a diversity of areas in which the Office of Public Works are employed that it would be very difficult to deal with every subhead at any given time. Briefly I will try to deal with the areas in which I am concerned and where I think some changes should be effected.

The Office of Public Works have been in existence in their present form since the foundation of the State. Due to the diversity of their activities I consider that the time is ripe to have a look at this office and decide whether they should be allowed to continue in their present capacity or whether portion of their work should be hived off to other areas. I mention that because of the conflict of opinion that often exists between officials of one Department and another.

Since the Arterial Drainage Acts were passed, the Office of Public Works were responsible for arterial drainage. One of the first schemes carried out by them was the Brosna arterial drainage scheme. Then we had a series of schemes which came in rapid succession year in and year out. As time passed the problem of maintenance became more complex and more the concern of other Departments and the time is now opportune to decide if arterial drainage should be tied to the Office of Public Works or the Department of Agriculture.

In recent years many problems existed because of inadequate outfalls, inadequate planning and inadequate consultations between officers of the Office of Public Works and the Department of Agriculture. I refer to areas not specifically covered by the Arterial Drainage Acts or by the catchment areas which have been included in the Acts. Thousands of acres of farmland have been excluded from the catchment areas of all drainage schemes.

The Department of Agriculture, through the offices of the land improvement services, move in at the request of farmers who wish to carry out land developments. When the inspection is carried out they discover to their disappointment and dismay that there is a lack of outfall which would prevent specific drainage works from being carried out. Then there is the battle between the engineers of the Office of Public Works and the officials of the Department arguing about the level to which the watercourse should be lowered or the area to which the water should be diverted. This is a very serious problem which is causing a great deal of anger among the farming community and anybody interested in land improvements.

An officer from the Department will tell the farmers that they need to have the outlet lowered by five feet and that it is the responsibility of the Office of Public Works. They get in touch with the Office of Public Works and after six months an engineer might call on the aggrieved farmers and tell them that the watercourse is perfect and does not need to be deepened. The result is that the scheme cannot be processed by the Department. The officers in the Office of Public Works do not make any effort to try to meet the needs of the farmers concerned, nor will they co-operate with the officials of the Department. I have seen ample evidence of this lack of co-operation in my county of Westmeath.

The time has come when the Department must take sole responsibility for drainage. There are too many drainage authorities at present. We have the major authority, the Office of Public works, then we have the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Fisheries and Forestry and every local authority. The time has come when one Department should be responsible for all drainage schemes.

I ask the Minister and his senior officials to have a long hard look at the role of the maintenance engineers employed by the Office of Public Works. I am not satisfied that they are making any contribution towards the future progress of land improvement and I doubt if they are serving the real needs of the Office of Public Works.

Most people realise that when an arterial drainage scheme is carried out the cost of maintenance is levied on the local authority. I come from a county which is expected to bear the brunt of these maintenance costs. We have the Brosna drainage, a bit of the Shannon and the Inny drainage. This is a statutory demand and the local authority are obliged to provide sums approaching £200,000 this year to the Office of Public Works for the maintenance of drainage schemes already carried out. This is where the real problem arises. I am satisfied the people responsible for this activity are not doing their duty nor are they serving the needs of the farming community.

Time creates problems; progress creates problems, and this is the area where there is a great deal of dissatisfaction. In my view the Department of Agriculture will have to be given a greater say in the administration of maintenance schemes which are at present operated by the Office of Public Works. It is disastrous that a local authority are obliged to make available a certain sum of money while they have no say in where or how that money will be spent or whether it will be spent at all. It is in the hands of the engineer who is often happier not to take action. This is a source of great concern, and much valuable farmland is lying dormant and cannot be improved because of the lack of understanding and effort on the part of some engineers in the Office of Public Works. Before any more surveys are carried out future demands regarding land improvement in the catchment area of rivers must be considered.

I welcome the finance being made available for national parks and monuments. This is one of the most scenic countries in Europe and the OPW have made a major contribution. Activity must be intensified if we are to preserve our national monuments in the way we would wish and I should like to see an extension of the activities of the OPW because they have become specialists in this field.

I should also like to see the creation of more national parks and the OPW have been active in this field. Recently a beautiful park and gardens came on the market in County Westmeath adjacent to the shores of Lough Ennel. Officials of the Department carried out an inspection and were impressed by the scenery of the area and the plant life there. They expressed the opinion that it was unique in Ireland. The land is still available and Westmeath County Council are endeavouring to acquire it as a public park. However, I would urge the Minister to acquire the land and designate it a national monument. County Westmeath is known as the "Killarney of the Midlands" and it is not surprising that I am anxious everything should be done to ensure we get a fair share of the tourist traffic. For that reason I appeal to the Minister to consider the possibility of acquiring this land. His officials have given an excellent report and I compliment them on the speed with which they produced it. This is one of the most valuable properties in Leinster and there should be greater consultation between the county council and the Department with a view to acquiring it for posterity.

It must be remembered that nowadays people have more leisure time than formerly and they are more conscious of the environment than ever before. They will tend to make greater use of the amenities available and this is a worldwide trend. It is gratifying that people are becoming more and more conscious of the need to protect and improve the environment.

I had expected some reference in the Minister's speech to the provision of a new Garda headquarters in Mullingar and I was surprised that this was not specifically mentioned. The existing building is deteriorating rapidly and the gutters are hanging from the eaves. It is in very bad condition both internally and externally and I had hoped the Minister would announce plans for the renovation of the building or for the provision of an alternative. At present staff are working in overcrowded conditions in a building which could be regarded as unsafe.

I urge the Minister and the Government to continue the successful policy of decentralisation of the civil service. Originally many civil servants expressed the view that this scheme would not work but now many of them wish to work in the country. This may not apply to senior civil servants who have been long established in Dublin but many of the younger staff members are determined to move back to country areas. Recently in Mullingar and Athlone there were ten times more applicants for jobs than could be accommodated. This is a clear indication that civil servants are prepared to work in the country and I am confident the decentralisation programme will be an outstanding success. We tend to look on Dublin as being the whole of Ireland but that is not the case. The people in Donegal, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Galway and elsewhere are entitled to the same recognition as the people in the capital. For that reason I compliment the Government on their efforts towards decentralisation and I ask them to continue their efforts in that area.

Debate adjourned.
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