asked the Taoiseach if he will indicate whether any Department of State has been made responsible for the prevention of coast erosion and whether if there is at present no responsible Department he will, as a matter of extreme urgency, indicate the Government's intention in the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Coast Erosion.
Responsibility for the prevention of coast erosion rests, generally, with the owners of the property affected, who may be a private individual or concern, a transport undertaking or a local authority, and the only Departments of State which have any statutory or other responsibility in the matter are, first, the Department of Industry and Commerce, which in the exercise of the powers conferred under the Foreshore Act, 1933, is concerned only in so far as the removal of beach material from the foreshore may cause or accelerate erosion; and, secondly, the Department of Lands, in the limited number of cases in which the Land Commission administer trust funds for the maintenance of existing protection works, such as sea walls, or make occasional small grants and advances to assist in the carrying out of minor protection works where the security for their land purchase advances is endangered by coast erosion.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that erosion on the east coast is of such immense proportions that it is impossible for the local authority, let alone the landlord, to take measures to prevent and correct it?
The question of coast erosion has been frequently considered. The difficulty is that, generally, the cost of any effective works is altogether out of proportion to the value of the property that would be saved. In particular cases it has been examined. I do not know if the case that has been referred to has been examined yet.
In Rosslare.
I do not know if that particular case has been examined yet in detail but I do know that other cases have been examined. For example, the case in Lahinch was examined and the report that was given at that time, I remember, was that it would be far cheaper to take all the existing houses and rebuild the town on the hill rather than to undertake works the effectiveness of which could not be guaranteed. It is very difficult to undertake this work as a national work. The first thing that would have to be done in regard to it would be to have a survey, which would cost a great deal of money. There are about six places that have been indicated: four on the east coast, and Tramore and Lahinch are two others. In regard to any particular one of these that has been examined the result of the investigations that have taken place has been that the capital cost is so enormous that you could not defend doing it on the basis of the value of the property that would be saved.
If this work were to be done on a national scale, you would also have to get specialists to examine the whole matter but, in so far as it has been examined by the engineers at our disposal, the position is as I have stated, that in no one case that has been examined has it been found that the saving of the property would at all justify the capital cost.
I do not know whether the reports the Taoiseach has are confidential or not but would it be possible to make the reports dealing with these four cases available or to publish them?
Six altogether have been mentioned. These, I understand, are committee reports.
There was a committee report published.
That was in 1931, some time back. I would not like to give a general promise. I would like to know what the position was more completely than I do at the moment.
Is the Taoiseach aware of the origin of this question? Rosslare strand is seriously threatened and as a result of Rosslare strand being threatened, the whole of Wexford town will in time be threatened. As much as 72 yards of strand disappeared overnight a few months ago in the Rosslare strand area. The position is very serious and the residents of Rosslare strand feel that they are unable to meet the expenses. Although they are prepared in as far as it is possible to carry the weight of the expense themselves, they would like some State assistance. The origin of this question really is that there is no State Department responsible for dealing with this particular situation and I would be glad if the Taoiseach would indicate if any State Department will be held responsible for it in the near future.
The question of trying to fix responsibility of that sort on a particular State Department, like the case of embankments, has been the subject of discussion on many occasions. The present position is that the local authorities and the private owners are responsible. I should like to know—as a matter of interest, if the Deputy can tell me—what the local authorities have been doing about it.