asked the Minister for Finance if he will state, with regard to the operation of the Arterial Drainage Act, 1925, in the County Mayo (a) the number of schemes which have been submitted to his Department under the Act by the County Council; (b) the number and location of those which have been reported on to date by the engineers of his Department; (c) the number and location of those which have been approved by his Department, and whether any portion of the cost of such scheme, and, if so, how much is to be provided from Government funds; and (d) the number and location of those schemes (if any) on which work under the Act of 1925 has been executed, or is at present in progress.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - ARTERIAL DRAINAGE IN MAYO.
Mr. BOURKE
(a) The Commissioners of Public Works have received petitions under the Arterial Drainage Act, 1925, from the Mayo County Council in respect of eighty-seven schemes, of which forty-eight had been rejected by the County Council.
(b) Of the thirty-nine schemes approved by the County Council the Commissioners have had thirty-two inspected by their engineer—nine of these being in the River Robe area and seventeen in that of the River Moy, while four are in the south-west of the county and two in the north-east. Six of these schemes have been rejected by the Commissioners.
(c) None of the schemes has reached the stage at which it can be submitted to the Minister for Finance for confirmation. The Commissioners have received engineers' and valuers' reports on the schemes affecting the areas drained by the Rivers Moy and Robe and have these under consideration. Two other cases (making one joint scheme) have been laid before the County Council with a view to ascertaining whether they will contribute the sum which will be necessary in addition to the Government grant to make the scheme economic, but the County Council have decided to defer consideration of the matter until the larger Moy and Robe schemes are also laid before them. No avoidable delay will take place in having this done.
(d) No actual work has yet been carried out under the Act of 1925 in County Mayo.