Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 11 Feb 1993

Vol. 425 No. 8

Ceisteanna— Questions. Oral Answers. - Boyle (Roscommon) Drainage Scheme.

John Connor

Question:

13 Mr. Connor asked the Minister for Finance if he will make a statement on the future of the Boyle, Breedogue-Lung Catchments drainage scheme head-quartered in Ballaghaderreen. County Roscommon; if he will confirm that this scheme will be properly completed and not prematurely wound up; if his attention has been drawn to the acute need to recruit additional workers for bridge building and other works on this scheme; and if he will confirm that funds will be provided in 1993 for this additional employment on the scheme.

Mr. Dempsey

Approximately 74 per cent of the scheduled works on the River Boyle Catchment drainage scheme have been completed to date. Due to a combination of circumstances outside the direct control of the Commissioners of Public Works, the cost of the scheme is running significantly over budget. The future of the scheme is being reviewed urgently at present within this context, in consultation with the Department of Finance. The possible implications of carrying out work in some environmentally sensitive areas is also being considered. Until such time as the review is completed and decisions are taken I can give no assurance that all of the scheduled work in the scheme will be undertaken.

I am aware that progress on bridge works has fallen behind that on channel excavation and this situation is being taken into account in the review to which I have referred. There are no proposals at present to recruit additional staff for this scheme.

Mr. Connor

Will the Minister give us an assurance that, when he talks about a complete review of the scheme, this does not represent a plan to wind the scheme up, which is echoed in my question? Would the Minister agree that part of the problem of over-spending goes back to the redundancies in this scheme in 1987 and 1988? What is happening at present is that all the permanent staff are here, the supervisory people, etc., all the machinery is there and all these aspects are working to about half their efficiency, simply because the Minister does not have construction workers for bridges and so on. The Minister did not give the figure but I understand the construction on this scheme is only 50 per cent complete while, as he states, the channel works are in excess of 70 per cent completed. I would like the Minister to address himself to the question I have raised as to what the review really means. There must be some idea within the Department whether that means a review for better or for worse. Would the Minister not agree with me that efficiency could be greatly improved if we had more people there? The inefficiencies to which he has indirectly referred are due to policies pursued by his Department in 1987 and 1988.

Mr. Dempsey

I cannot go any further in explaining what a review is to Deputy Connor except to say that all aspects of the scheme, including the aspects he has mentioned, are under review. I do not disagree with Deputy Connor that some of the problems may have been caused by the voluntary redundancy and early retirement scheme. The Deputy would be fairly accurate on that. Basically it is a full review of the scheme. I am not going to anticipate the outcome of the review.

Mr. J. Higgins

I appeal to the Minister of State to see this in the following context: does he realise that the existence of 500 farmers is at stake? What we are talking about is an entire community clinging by its fingernails to existence. In the event of the scheme being scrapped — and the Minister's tone is quite ominous — the option is emigration in the long term, as soon as the safety valve of emigration is opened, and the dole queue in the short term. May I suggest to the Minister, within the context of the Cohesion and Structural Funds that there be a very definite examination of the possibility of including this for EC funding?

Mr. Dempsey

In relation to the last point, I will investigate that for Deputy Higgins. I am sorry if the Deputy is reading something into my reply and saying that there is something very ominous about the answer. If you initiate a review of anything it would not be very fair to those involved in the review to come into this House and try to pre-empt whatever decisions they might take.

Mr. Connor

Could I ask the Minister to see this problem in the light of his own Government's stated policy to create jobs? He will have on his desk, I understand from the managers of the scheme, a proposal that if 20 additional workers were taken on seasonally during the summer, the scheme could probably be wound up in two years. If they were braver and took on 40 additional seasonal workers — and I emphasise seasonal workers — it would probably be wound up in one year. There is good economy in employing workers on this scheme because it could be done efficiently. The supervision is there so there will be no cost for supervision of additional work and the structures are there——

An Ceann Comhairle

Questions, please, Deputy. The Deputy is making a statement.

Mr. Connor

I am making a point to the Minister and I hope it is a very wise point that this——

An Ceann Comhairle

At this time we must proceed by way of supplementary questions.

Mr. Connor

——that this is a way of employing extra people. You, a Cheann Comhairle, will be aware of the Government's stated policy on additional employment in the economy.

Mr. Dempsey

In reviewing what the Deputy has said, I would like to assure him that all decisions that I will take in my capacity as Minister of State will be made in light of the Programme for Government, a document to which I am very committed.