Vol. 530 No. 6
191 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Finance if he will allocate funding for maintenance on the River Shannon as proposed by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Public Enterprise and Transport, the report of which is with his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4783/01]
The interim report on flooding on the River Shannon by the Joint Committee on Public Enterprise and Transport, to which the Deputy refers, was received by my office last year.
The committee's report recommended that funds be allocated to ensure necessary maintenance of the Shannon system. However, as no scheme of works has been undertaken on the Shannon under the Arterial Drainage Acts, no standard has been set to which the river must be maintained. Also, any proposed works would have to have regard to factors such as planning and environmental considerations and possible collateral impacts. Therefore, in the context of my statement to the Seanad on 5 December 2000 in relation to the interim report, I asked the committee to revisit and elaborate on the recommendation in its final report. I look forward to receiving the committee's final report.
