asked the Minister for the Environment if he will consider the provision of a special grant to Sligo County Council and Leitrim County Council to help them overcome the costs incurred by them in the damage to private property and the pollution caused as a result of the major landslide at Geevagh, County Sligo.
Written Answers. - County Council Grant.
490.
Local authorities are empowered under section 2 of the Local Authorites (Works) Act, 1949, to execute such works as they consider reasonable in the public interest for the purpose of affording relief or protection from the damage caused by a landslide. Accordingly appropriate action in this case is for the local authority to determine. There is no grant aid available from my Department to assist local authorities in the execution of works under section 2 of the Local Authorities (Works) Act, 1949.
To the extent that section 2 of the Local Government (Sanitary Services) Act, 1964, which deals with dangerous places may be relevant, it would be a matter for a local authority in the first instance to determine what works are appropriate. It is not possible at this stage to say if any grant would be allocated for such works.
In so far as pollution arising from the landslide at Geevagh is concerned, I understand that public water supplies in Counties Sligo and Leitrim are not affected. In the case of County Leitrim the council found it necessary to turn off the public water supply intake at Carrick-on-Shannon for a period of 24 hours due to the colour of the water. The polluted waters did not reach the distribution system and given the short duration of the incident there was no interruption to domestic supplies. When the incident occured the council notified other local authorities which might be affected by the water quality and are monitoring the water quality on a continuous basis.
In so far as damage to private property is concerned it is understood that agricultural land is involved and that the local authority are in contact with the Department of Agriculture.