Léim ar aghaidh chuig an bpríomhábhar
Gnáthamharc

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 20 Jul 1933

Vol. 49 No. 3

Cork Tramways (Employees' Compensation) Bill, 1933—Money Resolution. - Clarecastle Pier Bill, 1933—Final Stages.

I propose that the Bill be received for final consideration. I understand that a question was asked on an earlier stage of the Bill as to the principle on which the persons who are to constitute this Board were selected. A number of them were members of the old Board, and the balance, as far as we have been able to discover, are the only persons in County Clare found willing to act in that capacity. The Bill was delayed during the efforts to get a Board of nine willing to act.

The Minister was also asked what were the functions of those nine gentlemen. What are they supposed to do with reference to the Clare Castle pier?

They are responsible for the maintenance of the pier, for the collection of dues, and all the other functions which are exercised by harbour commissioners.

Is the Minister satisfied that they are responsible for the maintenance of the pier, because a question arose on the Second Reading, and the Acting Minister was not at all clear on that?

I do not say they are financially responsible, but they are responsible for the administration of the pier.

Who is responsible for the maintenance of the pier financially? Can the Minister tell us?

I am afraid I cannot say now. It is quite probable that it is maintained by the Board of Works out of a fund which is replenished by contributions from the county council in the areas where piers exist. There is a fund to which county councils contribute, and which is administered by the Board of Works in the maintenance of the piers in the counties concerned.

The reason why I asked this question in the Minister's absence was, as I pointed out, that in connection with several of the piers liability for maintenance rests with the Board of Works. In the case of other piers the liability rests with the county council. In the case in which I was interested the liability was alleged to belong to the county council. The county council, when called upon to carry out some repairs, said that the liability was not theirs at all. That is the difficulty. Numbers of those piers are falling into decay. When we come here to the House to know whose is the liability, or whose the responsibility, we are told in one case it belongs to the Board of Works, and in another case to the county council. When we go to those authorities neither will admit any liability, with the result that the decay still goes on.

The position is undoubtedly very complicated, and in consequence of that fact there is being prepared a general measure dealing with harbours, piers and ports in the country. That measure will not be ready for some time. It has been in course of preparation for some time already, but because of its nature and size it is likely to be a long time before it sees the light of day.

I think the Minister will agree that it is almost a scandal that those piers should be allowed to get into the state of decay in which we find many of them at the moment.

I am sure that Deputy O'Grady has told the Minister about the recent occasion on which there was a regatta at Clarecastle which was held in a cloud of coal dust. It was so bad that the people who were there have been washing themselves since and there is no knowing the number of dresses and hats that have been irretrievably destroyed as a result of the coal dust. Will the trustees have any function in the matter of keeping the place clean and are they liable for any damage done in that particular way?

I am sure that the Commissioners have some responsibility as regards the first part of the question, but I would not offer any opinion upon their responsibility for the dresses mentioned.

Question put and agreed to.
Question—"That the Bill do now pass"—put and agreed to.
Barr
Roinn