asked the Minister for Finance if he can state what drainage schemes are in contemplation in County Kilkenny, and whether any progress has been made with such schemes; and, if not, can he state whether, in view of the distress that prevails in the Kilkenny rural districts, due to agricultural depression, he will undertake to expedite drainage works with a view to relieving unemployment in such districts.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Drainage Works in County Kilkenny.
Of seven petitions under the Arterial Drainage Act, 1925, transmitted to the Commissioners of Public Works from County Kilkenny, all except two have been rejected. The two remaining proposals are the Sugarstown and Kilfane and the River Goul, which extends into County Tipperary (South Riding).
The preliminaries in the Sugarstown and Kilfane scheme are well advanced. A detailed drainage scheme has been prepared and submitted to the votes of the occupiers of affected lands, and a public inquiry in respect of objections to the scheme was held recently. The Commissioners are now awaiting their investigator's report, on consideration of which it will be decided whether or not the scheme should proceed.
The Commissioners have had the River Goul proposal inspected by an engineer and a land valuer, and as a result of their reports have submitted the case to the County Councils of Kilkenny and Tipperary (South Riding) for free grants of 14-? per cent. and 1-? per cent. respectively of the total cost of the scheme—estimated at £8,490. The Minister for Finance has agreed to contribute 48-? per cent. of the cost.
Drainage works are from their nature unsuitable for execution in winter, and there is no prospect of any actual works being carried out in either of these districts for a considerable time, but the Commissioners' investigations will be proceeded with as expeditiously as possible.