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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 3 May 1944

Vol. 93 No. 13

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Widening of County Dublin Road.

asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he is aware that a road widening scheme to ease a dangerous bend at Cloghran, County Dublin, was started some years ago with a view to relieving unemployment, and was financed by an unemployment grant, and that this work remains unfinished for the past two years; and if he will state if it is his intention to have this work completed by means of a further unemployment grant during the present year.

The reply to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The preliminary work which was undertaken was the clearing and levelling of the ground and the erection of fencing at a cost of about £2,000, and that section of the scheme was completed with the aid of an employment grant in the financial year ended 31st March, 1940. Grants towards the carrying out of employment schemes can be made only when there is a number of unemployed in an area to warrant the carrying out of special works. The number unemployed in the Cloghran area declined considerably in the subsequent years, and since then the amount of grant that could be allocated to the area could not be economically expended on the next stage of this particular work. Grants from the Road Fund for road improvements had to be suspended since the financial year 1940-41, owing to the decline in the income of the Road Fund, so that no grants from that source have been made available. The completing of the work at Cloghran will be considered as soon as it may be possible to allocate further grants.

The Minister has agreed that so many thousand pounds have been spent on this road. Can he indicate how far it is proposed to continue the work?

The work, as I said in my reply, was a scheme to relieve unemployment. As soon as the employment situation warrants it, the work will be resumed.

But is it not an improvement job?

The money does not come from that source.

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