asked the Minister for Finance if the Charging Order issued by the Board of Public Works to the Councils of Roscommon and Galway in connection with the restoration work on the River Suck and its tributaries for collection off the drainage ratepayers of the district includes a sum of £4,508 penal interest charged on the advance and which had accrued during a period of six years before preparing the Schedule and Charging Order, and if this sum of £4,508 means an increase of about 34 per cent. of the actual charges levied on those drainage ratepayers.
Ceisteanna.—Questions. Oral Answers. - River Suck Drainage.
No penal interest was charged in assessing the amount chargeable on the lands in the Suck drainage district. Consequently, the second part of the question does not arise.
Do I understand that the Parliamentary Secretary says that no penal interest was charged?
That is the answer.
Will the Parliamentary Secretary say if the charging order sent to the Roscommon County Council definitely states that a sum of £4,508 is penal interest charged for that period?
Penal interest?
Interest, penal or otherwise? Is there a sum of £4,508 9s. 2d. being charged to the drainage ratepayers on the River Suck for the period during which the Board of Works was making up its mind as to what to put in the schedule as interest?
The Deputy then withdraws the expression "penal interest"?
It does not matter—it is interest.
The Deputy in his question put in the words "penal interest." He now wakes up to the fact that there was no such thing as penal interest and, therefore, the rest of his question does not arise.
And the Parliamentary Secretary takes advantage of it.
asked the Minister for Finance if he is aware of any maintenance or other work being done on the River Suck or its tributaries since the restoration work carried out by the Board of Works in 1927 and what steps, if any, he proposes to take to see that some order is restored to these works before the Councils of Roscommon and Galway assume responsibility for them or whether a grant-in-aid sufficient to defray the cost of such restoration will be made to the councils taking over the works.
The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative.
As regards the latter part of the question, the Deputy is referred to the reply given him on Thursday last, 21st instant.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary able to state definitely when he is going to meet the representatives of the Galway and Roscommon County Council?
The answer to that is also in the negative.
I expected it would.
asked the Minister for Finance if he is aware that liabilities towards officials and others of the River Suck Drainage Board are still to be met and what steps he proposes to take to fix responsibility for the discharge of those liabilities before liability is assumed by the councils concerned.
The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The responsibility for discharging these liabilities is a matter for those entrusted by law with the management of the drainage district and the Minister has no function in the matter.
Who are the persons entrusted by law with the management of this drainage district?
The Deputy is supposed to know that.
And much more the Parliamentary Secretary. In view of the very unsatisfactory answers I have got to the three question, with your permission, Sir, I wish to raise the matter on the Adjournment. It is a matter of very grave importance and I have been answered most discourteously.
I have already given permission to Deputy O'Donovan to raise a matter on the Adjournment to-night.
To-morrow night, then?
Possibly.