asked the Minister for Finance the new coast protection works which will be started next year.
16.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Coast Protection Works.
5.
asked the Minister for Finance if he will arrange for a coast protection work to be done from Tralee to the Spa and Fenit in County Kerry next year.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 and 16 together. Having regard to the provisions of the national plan, no new coast protection scheme will be commenced in 1986.
There are many areas that need coast protection work and it is a disgrace that the Government are not carrying out any new coast protection work and will not be in the new year. I ask the Minister of State to reconsider that decision and to have one or two new jobs started next year.
Building on Reality suspended the commencement of new coast protection schemes under the 1963 Coast Protection Act, for the duration of the plan.
The country is being eroded. We can call it national erosion.
Maintenance of completed coast protection work is being continued, and work on those plans is being continued. As Deputy McEllistrim will appreciate, it is a complicated business to produce a coast protection scheme. Perhaps other Deputies would not know that. No scheme is ready at present.
I disagree with the Minister that some areas are not ready for coast protection works to be started. I know a couple of them. I ask the Minister to try to ensure that at least one start would be made in the coming year.
I assure the Deputy that there is no finalisation of any of the schemes that had been asked for by county councils, including the county council of which the Deputy is a member. It is spelled out in the Government plan that there will be none next year.
In view of the fact that the Government have suspended coast erosion schemes would the Minister consider relaunching the scheme to ensure that we can limit the extent of internal erosion caused by the Government?
That question is beneath contempt.