asked the Minister for Finance whether he will consider amending the Arterial Drainage Act, 1945, (Sections 26; 28 (2) (a); and 44) so that accrued arrears of drainage rates, under the Arterial Drainage Acts, 1925 and 1929, will become a charge on the Central Fund.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Arrears of Drainage Rates.
The answer is in the negative.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary reconsider that reply? There are some cases of great hardship, especially in my county where in certain instances drainage was carried out and the consent of people affected was never asked. In certain cases the work was badly carried out. I do not want to make a case for people who refuse to pay their rates but there are certain parts of the country in which the drainage was carried out against the will of the people concerned. I would seriously ask the Parliamentary Secretary to reconsider cases of that description.
This matter has been discussed very fully already. The alleged hardship to which the Deputy referred is not confined to Galway.
The largest portion of it is.