asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he has received a resolution passed by the Donegal County Council at a meeting held on Tuesday, the 28th June, 1932, requesting that the money allocated to Donegal out of the Relief Vote be made available for the construction of new roads as well as the improvement of roads and drainage schemes, and, if so, if he is prepared to sanction the proposals outlined in the resolution.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Spending of Relief Vote in Donegal.
The resolution to which the Deputy refers has not yet been received in my Department. Schemes for relief works will be considered on their merits from the point of view both of public utility and effectiveness in the relief of unemployment.
Do I understand that a grant will be made available for new roads wherever the County Council think that these roads are necessary?
In that connection, I would like to point out to the Deputy that the road mileage in County Donegal is abnormally high. It represents 24 miles of rural roads to every 1,000 of the population as against an average of 15 per 1,000 of the population in other parts of the country. Such a scheme would require very careful examination before any definite action could be taken.
The Parliamentary Secretary may not be aware that in many areas in County Donegal roads leading into bogs are very essential. I would like him to give his earnest consideration to the resolution and I hope he will see his way to make a grant available at the earliest possible moment.
The resolution which is the subject matter of this question has not reached the Department yet.