asked the Minister for Finance to state whether any Government engineers have been asked to report on the causes of the recent disastrous floods in County Dublin and County Wicklow; and, if so, whether he will require a full investigation to be made with a view to the adoption of schemes for preventing a repetition of such occurrences.
Ceist—Question. Written Answer. - Recent Floods in Dublin and Wicklow.
The answer to the first part of the Question is in the negative.
The cause of the flooding was obviously a rainfall so abnormally heavy that the local drainage systems were for the time being unable to carry off the water. The improvement of local drainage systems is primarily a matter for the consideration of Local Authorities. Provision already exists in the Arterial Drainage Act, 1925, the Arterial Drainage (Minor Schemes) Act, 1928, and the Arterial Drainage (Amendment) Act, 1929, by which rated occupiers of lands which are liable to flooding or injury by water may petition the Local Authority to have drainage works executed. The State may, in approved cases, render financial assistance.