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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 19 Sep 1944

Vol. 94 No. 9

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Urban Councils' Turf Commitments.

asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he will give the names of the urban councils which participated in turf winning activities since 1940; if he will state how many of such urban councils incurred losses on such activities; and to what amount are such activities represented in the form of overdrafts at the end of the last financial year; and if he will remit the charge of such overdrafts in accordance with the undertaking given that no local authority would be at any loss on account of its turf winning campaign.

A tabular statement containing the information requested in the first three parts of the question will be circulated with the Official Report. As regards the remainder of the question the Government guarantee to local bodies against loss on turf production is quite explicit in its terms. The Deputy has quoted it rather freely. It covers all reasonable expense incurred by county councils in producing turf for use outside their areas, and in the case of urban bodies producing turf it ensures a market for any surplus turf of good quality offered for sale. Every case must be examined in relation to the actual facts before it can be decided whether the conditions of the Government guarantee are wholly or partly applicable thereto. Most of the urban authorities (including town commissioners) had at the 31st March, 1944, cleared their debit balances by meeting them out of ordinary revenue. At that date a small number of them had overdrafts on separate turf accounts but only in two instances were the overdrafts of any considerable extent. The Corporations of Cork and Limerick undertook special schemes of turf production in which persons in receipt of unemployment assistance were employed. The statement does not include particulars of expenditure on such schemes.

The following is the tabular statement referred to:—

Local Authorities

Estimated loss

Debit Balance recorded at 31st March, 1944

£

£

Athy Urban District Council

272

172

Athlone Urban District Council

216

Ball na Urban District Council

207

Belturbet Urban District Council

Birr Urban District Council

1,999

Bundoran Urban District Council

115

Carlow Urban District Council

570

Carrickmacross Urban District Council

71

Cashel Urban District Council

8

Ceanannus Mor Urban District Council

1,000

601

Clones Urban District Council

324

Clonmel Urban District Council

1,873

Granard Urban District Council

97

Naas Urban District Council

682

Passage West Urban District Council

31

Monaghan Urban District Council

60

Skibbereen Urban District Council

2,026

2,404

Thurles Urban District Council

114

Tullamore Urban District Council

Wicklow Urban District Council

166

12

Droichead Nua Town Commissioners

171

171

Mullingar Town Commissioners

2,236

153

Tuam Town Commissioners

80

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