asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state whether a report has been received from inspectors of his Department regarding the cleaning of the tributaries connected with Lough Gara, in East Mayo and West Roscommon, so as to enable the farmers to avail of the land rehabilitation scheme; and, if so, what action he proposes to take in the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Lough Gara Drainage.
asked the Minister for Agriculture if, in view of the successful work carried out on the drainage scheme at Lough Gara by the removal of the rock beds and the underpinning of bridges, he will consider having this scheme concluded by the provision of a further sum of money.
With your permission. A Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 27 and 28 together. I understand that the works which the Office of Public Works were asked to do on the Boyle River as agents for my Department have been completed.
Reports furnished to my Department indicate that, in this as in many other cases, the drainage of some land must await the clearance of certain large rivers or watercourses. The position in regard to the execution of the work necessary on tributaries to Lough Gara was set out in the reply given on 5th August last by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance in reply to a previous question from the Deputy.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware there is grave discontent in this locality amongst the small farmers, who have waited well-nigh 100 years for the removal of this bed of rock and the underpinning of these bridges in order to relieve all the water so that they could utilise the small amount of land at their disposalwith a view to cultivation? Is the Parliamentary Secretary further aware that that disappointment was intensified when they discovered that after the rock had been removed and the bridges underpinned the only thing they saw happen was that the archaeological experts came down to carry out a survey for the Arts Museum? Would it not be much more appropriate if that scheme were enlarged and brought to a conclusion by the cleaning of the rivers flowing into Lough Gara and hence on to the Shannon? When does he propose to supply the money, either through his Department or through the Board of Works? Are the people to wait another 100 years? If so, it was a waste of money to underpin the bridges and remove the rock.
I am accepting the Deputy's word about discontent and I expect him to accept mine that this work is too large to come under the land reclamation programme of the Department of Agriculture.
With your permission, A Cheann Comhairle, I intend to raise the subject matter of these two questions on the Adjournment.