asked the Minister for Local Government why a person (name supplied) has not yet been paid his water and sewerage grant, although the work was passed in October, 1966; and when the grant will be paid.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Water and Sewerage Schemes.
17.
Payment of the grant in this case was delayed by the inquiries which are being made in areas where there was evidence of an illegal no rates campaign. The grant will be paid this week.
18.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he is aware of the demand by tenants of 30 county council cottages at Langlands, Convoy, County Donegal, for fully serviced facilities; and if in view of the need he will make a grant available to assist in their provision.
I understand from inquiries made that Donegal County Council are to consider a motion on the agenda for their next meeting that services be provided to these cottages. As regards State grants, I would refer the Deputy to the provisions of section 24 of the Housing Act, 1966, which relate to payment of grants to housing authorities and section 2 of the Local Government (Sanitary Services) Act, 1962, which applies to private persons.
19.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he is aware of the demand for a new water supply system for Ramelton, County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
No proposals for a new water supply system for Ramelton, County Donegal have been received in my Department.
Is the Minister's Department aware of the great need and desire of the people of Ramelton for a new water supply?
It is a matter for Donegal County Council to submit proposals. The Department does not deal with these matters in detail.
Does the Minister not concede that if the Department does not provide the money, Donegal County Council cannot carry out the work?
The Department of Local Government do not provide money until the proposals are submitted. No proposals were submitted.
20.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he is now in a position to state when the tender for the Conna regional water scheme, County Cork, which was received in his Department in November, 1965, will be sanctioned.
Tenders for this scheme are still under consideration in my Department. I am not in a position to say when sanction thereto is likely to issue.
The House must take a serious view of the answer the Minister has given, because here is a case where a tender was accepted on 20th November, 1965, by the Northern Committee of Cork County Council for a regional water scheme.
The Deputy may not make a speech.
I am asking the Minister if he will now tell the House that the actual position is that there is no money in his Department for the execution of this scheme.
There is a lot of money in my Department for these schemes, but the volume and cost of these schemes at present before my Department is so great that——
You have not the money to pay for them.
Yes—there is not sufficient money to do all the schemes, nor is there sufficient capacity in industry to do them all at the one time. There are, in fact, sufficient schemes there to last for a number of years, and it is necessary now to review these schemes and try to identify the more urgent portions of them.
Cut them down.
Yes, cut them down, to the capacity of the community to finance them.
Will I be permitted to ask here and now this very straight and pertinent question: will the Minister now tell us when the Castlelyons regional water scheme will be done? Will he tell us that all those people must wait for water for another five years?
No. I said the scheme was being reviewed in order to identify the more urgent sections of it.
We have been waiting for 24 months.
21.
asked the Minister for Local Government when it is proposed to carry out the necessary extensions to Swinford water supply, County Mayo.
I understand that Mayo County Council at present propose to carry out only one extension to the Swinford water supply and that detailed design documents in relation to this extension will be forwarded to my Department shortly.
22.
asked the Minister for Local Government what stage has now been reached in the construction of the North County Dublin water scheme.
23.
asked the Minister for Local Government when it is expected that the North County Dublin water supply scheme will begin to service the areas of St. Margaret's, Rolestown, Donabate, Rush, Loughirry, Lusk, Ballyboughal, Oldtown, Garristown, Naul and Ring Commons.
24.
asked the Minister for Local Government the date on which his Department authorised the start of work on the North County Dublin regional water scheme; and the date on which the scheme is expected to be completed and in operation.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 22, 23 and 24 together.
Construction work on the North Dublin Regional water supply scheme was initiated in May, 1964. Contract No. 12 (Strawberry Beds-Mulhuddart) has already been completed. Contracts 1 to 4A which provide for the headworks at Leixlip, plant and rising mains, are nearing completion. I understand that tenders for contract 5 which provides for the spinal trunk main from Ballycoolin to Hedgestown Reservoir near Balbriggan have been received by Dublin County Council, and are under consideration by the council's engineering advisers at present. Once contract No. 5, which is the main spinal trunk for the scheme gets under way, no undue delay should occur in the completion of the outstanding works but, as the remaining contracts are dependent on Contract 5 as far as a supply of water is concerned, it is not possible to state when the North Dublin regional water supply scheme will begin to service the areas referred to by the Deputy or when the entire scheme will come into operation.
Unlike Deputy Barry, I am inquiring not about a scheme that is 24 months old but one that is a quarter of a century old. I want to ask if it is reasonable that the Minister should make this repetitive reply every time this most important matter is raised in the House. Is he not aware that his gracious colleague, who is also a colleague of mine, in County Dublin, won at least two elections by promising the advent of this scheme in days long before the present Minister graced these benches? Would he not agree with me that it is most unreasonable and unjust to the many thousands of people throughout the length and breadth of North County Dublin, which he is alleged to represent equally with me, that they should be continually long-fingered in this fashion in so far as water supplies are concerned? Might I draw his attention to the fact that he did not reply to that part of my question in which I asked if he would indicate to the local authority that they might proceed right away with building, pending the arrival of the water supply.
That is another question, Question No. 25, which has not been dealt with yet. It will be in the near future, possibly before 4 o'clock; we might even reach it today.
The Minister might even reach it tonight if he does not keep a civil tongue in his head.
Will the Deputy please come to the point?
I would have come to the point long ago but for these interruptions.
The clock is moving all the time.
That is an inevitable process with which we cannot interfere, and I assume the main purpose of this House is not haste because if it were, we could do our business with great expedition but with a very bad effect upon the people. I want to get this amenity for the people of County Dublin——
North.
North, and part of South County Dublin.
I cannot allow this to proceed. The Deputy will please come to the question and to the supplementary he wishes to ask.
Can the Minister give some idea as to when this scheme, which is 25 years old, is to begin and when water will be provided for the people of Donabate, Swords, Loughshinny——
That surely covers it.
——which the Minister brushes aside as places of no account?
This scheme, as Deputy Dunne may have discovered, is proceeding. Tenders for the spinal trunk main are being examined by the council's engineers. Deputy Dunne might not appreciate the fact that before water can proceed along the other mains extending from the spinal trunk main, first of all, water must be flowing in the spinal trunk main. Therefore, it would not be possible to supply water to the areas which he mentions without first completing this No. 5 contract. However, now that our gracious colleague has done so well out of the scheme, if Deputy Dunne feels that in the local elections, he can get some advantage out of it——
I am not standing.
——he should make the most of it because this is the last chance he will get.
Why? Are you going to carve up the constituencies again?
It will be completed and the advantage will then be with our gracious colleague.
(Interruptions.)