When I was concluding last night I was referring to our national monuments. The speaker before me, Deputy Flanagan, complained rather bitterly about the state of Clonmacnoise. As we all know Clonmacnoise is one of our more important national monuments and it is one that gets a considerable amount of attention from the Office of Public Works. It is not in such a sad state as indeed a lot of our other national monuments are. The Parliamentary Secretary and his board should make a greater effort to preserve a number of our old abbeys and really historic landmarks. A certain amount of money is spent on all sorts of landmarks some of which could hardly be called historic or national monuments and a number of the national monuments are unfortunately falling into disrepair. When we talk about national monuments and so on, it is only fair that we should pay some tribute to the members of An Taisce. Like a lot of other things in this country when the State is not able to provide the money or to do the work in regard to various things voluntary bodies step in and do the job. An Taisce have done a tremendous amount of good work and for that reason it was hardly gracious for the now ex-Minister for Local Government to refer to An Taisce as he did and to have "a go" at what he called the belted earls. As far as I know all their members are very ordinary people but listening to Deputy Boland one would imagine that unless you were a belted earl——
Committee on Finance. - Vote 8: Public Works and Buildings (Resumed).
We are not discussing members of An Taisce. It does not arise.
The members of An Taisce have done good work in conjunction with the Office of Public Works and they should get a word of thanks. I was glad to note from the Parliamentary Secretary's opening speech that beginnings are at last being made on the provision of a concert hall for Dublin. We pride ourselves that we are quite a musical people and quite a cultured people but yet we have a capital without a proper concert hall. Recently somebody rightly said that possibly if Members of the Dáil and the Seanad had more time to spend going to concert halls and so on they would be more anxious to allocate money for these purposes. I suppose, however, the public must pay some of the price because they in turn keep us too busy to go to concerts. Dublin does lack a good concert hall and tourists are always a little startled that for a nation which considers itself rather musical we do not spend a lot on concert halls.
As I said last night, my principal interest in this Estimate is in drainage west of the Shannon and I suppose, like all women, I said a lot more than I should have and I included a lot of other things in my remarks. I would like to remind the Parliamentary Secretary that I asked him to put a date on the commencement of work on the Dunkellin drainage scheme. This river was surveyed a few years ago and markers were put into position but now in my area these markers have rotted away and I suppose it will mean starting all over again. If he could give me a date I could allay the fears of my constituents who feel that drainage work on this river will never be done.
I was enticed to speak on this Estimate because of Deputy Flanagan's remarks last night. Deputy Flanagan talked about Clonmacnoise. I do not do much touring around looking at national monuments but I suppose the best kept national monument which we have is Clonmacnoise. Deputy Oliver Flanagan should go over the 12th or 13th century church at Boyle which has one of the nicest pieces of stone carving in the country. One has to walk through nettles and thistles which are six feet high and the only path is a track made by the people. This is, indeed, disgraceful.
I have also asked the Parliamentary Secretary a question about the graveyard at Mungret. Deputy Flanagan was quite right when he said there is no point in the Office of Public Works erecting notices threatening people with dire consequences if they deface the property when, at the same time, the property is allowed to fall into decay. Apparently the Office of Public Works erect a notice and then forget about the property.
In view of the huge increase in the Book of Estimates this year a few thousand pounds spent on national monuments would be well worthwhile. If I might make a comparison, I notice that after incurring expenditure of £500,000 in the past 25 years on Aras an Uachtaráin, this year in the Estimates there is reference to expenditure of some £29,200 for that building. It is a pity that this sum could not be transferred for the care and maintenance of monuments throughout the country.
I was wrong when I suggested that Clonmacnoise was the best preserved national monument. Obviously, the old vice-regal lodge must be far and away the best preserved monument in the country. I challenge the Parliamentary Secretary to tell us what is being done with this £29,200 in addition to the enormous amount already expended on Aras an Uachtaráin. I know there were years when sums as high as £75,000 and £100,000 were needed and nobody had any objection to this but to continue expenditure at this rate is wasteful. I am not as fond of money as some other people but I have respect for it and deplore waste of any kind. This annual expenditure on one building— built in the middle of the 18th century —is grossly excessive.
In tourist brochures one sees reference to a "nice old church" in Boyle and yet when visitors go there they must be appalled at the sight of all the weeds and nettles growing there. Money could be better spent in maintaining places such as this.
I agree with Deputy Flanagan when he praises the Guinness Company for floodlighting the Rock of Cashel although I did not think his remark of "More power to them" was the most appropriate in the circumstances. Perhaps if he had said "Stout fellows" he would have been more on the ball. There are many so-called national monuments in the country and the best thing that could be done would have been to apply the provisions of the Derelict Sites Act to them. Many of the old castles are far from being an addition to the country and in some cases there is only a single wall remaining. Since much of the work carried out by the Celts was executed in timber we have very few Celtic remains although the remnants of castles of the Norman era do little to enhance the landscape.
I have no objection to the bulk of the expenditure in this Estimate save for one item. Subhead F.3 deals with rents, rates, et cetera, and it is increased by £200,000. There were many speculative builders who, having exhausted their chances of making money in the larger English cities, descended on Dublin some years ago. They would not have prospered here to such a tremendous extent had it not been for the activities of the Government who took over complete buildings and this is quite evident if one walks through the city from O'Connell Bridge House, to Ansley House, right out to Ballsbridge. The result is that rents are up by £200,000 in one year. This is the kind of waste by the Government in relation to its expenditure to which I object. The net result is that the integrity of our country is being continually eroded.
There are various items in the Estimates of which I approve. There is an increase in respect of coast protection from £5,000 to £50,000. This is desirable as the work being carried out in this area must be done but, unfortunately, there are many items in the Estimates to which one cannot give approval.
In regard to arterial drainage, I take it that the Office of Public Works have now got ample machinery and that this is expenditure on the actual work. There is general agreement that some rivers require drainage but there is a difference of opinion as to whether it is desirable to overdo the arterial drainage scheme, in the sense of running the water off the land at certain periods of the year. This has been the subject of some controversy but, on the whole, there was justification for carrying out some arterial drainage in this country.
In regard to this Estimate, one can approve of many of the provisions but one cannot condone wasteful spending and I want to register the strongest objections to such expenditure.
First, I should like to congratulate the Parliamentary Secretary in presenting this Estimate which is of such significance to the whole structure of our country and our society from the point of view of the provision of schools and so on. Up to a few years ago the Office of Public Works proceeded on traditional lines and the Parliamentary Secretary has taken on a big responsibility in promoting these new activities and defending the decisions made by him and his staff.
I support the pleas made by other speakers in regard to the development of office buildings in our city. It has been argued that by entrusting that task to commercial firms vital capital has been made available in other sectors of our economy. I think developing public opinion is now against the idea of developers coming in and acquiring large tracts of rundown properties and then presenting to the Government or to the local authority what appears to be an attractive proposition on the face of it but has certain undesirable characteristics.
I support, too, the arguments put forward about developing the north side of our city. The north side has been starved of any facilities. Thousands of employees in the Government service live on the north side and have to undertake daily the hazardous journey to their places of employment on the south side. I suggest the Parliamentary Secretary should seriously consider the provision of offices on the north side of the city.
The Parliamentary Secretary made a very important announcement this month in relation to the employment of staff. There are 300 building trade workers engaged in the maintenance of State buildings and other activities of that kind. Up to now these workers were recruited through commercial firms. As from August next these workers will be directly employed by the Office of Public Works. I believe this step will strengthen the good relations that exist between the commissioners and the workers. This is one of the most far-reaching decisions taken by the Parliamentary Secretary since he assumed office and it will be of immense benefit to the workers concerned because they will be assured of continuous employment with reasonable conditions and other fringe benefits.
The Phoenix Park is one of the most vital lungs we have. I know from experience the limitations it has as a public recreational centre. I suggest that grazing cattle should be phased out. It is on record that cattle in the Phoenix Park have contributed to some serious accidents there. Acres of ground could usefully be devoted to expanding recreational facilities for our citizens. There is urgent need for proper car parking facilities for the thousands who visit the Park and the Zoological Gardens. The car parking facilities at the moment are quite inadequate. Facilities should be made available in the vicinity of the gardens themselves and also in other areas of the Phoenix Park. It is a common sight to see hundreds of cars parked on the grass. The Office of Public Works could usefully consider more facilities in the way of cafés and amusement arcades. Everything should be done to make the Park more popular.
I welcome the announcement in relation to the John F. Kennedy Concert Hall. I hope positive steps will be taken to ensure that this building will be constructed without undue delay. If the Parliamentary Secretary and the Government are not fully committed to the present site—I understand some of the houses have been let to Dublin Corporation for the purpose of accommodating temporarily families in need of housing—I suggest consideration should be given to siting this concert hall on the north side of the city. Some 400 acres of land there are being developed by the corporation, with the generous assistance of the Government, and, if there are any second thoughts about the site, I suggest St. Anne's would merit consideration.
Another matter to which I should like to refer is the portraits in this House. Week after-week, hundreds of boys and girls with their teachers from schools and colleges throughout the country as well as visitors from home and abroad visit this House. With the passage of time, the names of some of the personages whose portraits hang in our corridors seem to fade. I suggest there should be some method of identifying these portraits. I have been in the corridors from time to time while people were being guided around this House. When they asked the names of the personages I have, on occasion, witnessed confusion as to the identity of men who made their contribution to the freedom of this country. I suggest that the names of the personages should be put under the portraits.
It only remains for me to congratulate the Parliamentary Secretary again on the introduction of the Estimate for this Office.
I think I am correct in saying that OPW is far and away the largest State body. By reason of the few dealings I have had with that office from time to time, I have always felt that there is an old-fashioned integrity and respectability attached to it—a touch of "ould dacency", as they say. That office is a repository of vast knowledge relating to this country. Apart from the actual records in it, there is an accumulation of skill of immense value and significance there. For these reasons, I should be very slow to accept the changes proposed by the Devlin Report in relation to that office because of its peculiar position in the public life of this country.
Having regard to its history and traditions and having regard to the skills within that office—architects, engineers, people of very high professional standards—I feel that office is in a unique position to give a better service than it has been giving in many ways. At times, it can surprise us very pleasantly with the quality of the job it performs. At other times, it can disappoint us by permitting and carrying out a very ordinary, banal type of work.
The OPW has a unique opportunity to set standards in all types of public work throughout the country, most of which it carries out itself. By setting a lead, it can ensure that what is carried out by local authorities and by the private sector will have a high standard to compare with and to evaluate.
Aesthetic standards have fallen. There is a willingness to put up with the second-rate. There is a willingness to accept second-best. There is a willingness to shrug the shoulders and to say: "It could be worse".
As an example, I was driving the other day to Mountjoy Prison. On my way from O'Connell Street I came to a traffic sign at the top of Parnell Square directing traffic towards Doyle's Corner. This is not the responsibility of the OPW but I want to mention the quality of the sign. It was badly painted and set on what appeared to be two scaffolding posts of uneven length which were supported in rusty tar barrels. This is an important road traffic sign at an important junction in Dublin city. I object to that quality. The OPW could give a lead which would help to eliminate that type of thing.
Another manifestation of that type of standard is the way road schemes are left unfinished possibly for years after the actual surfacing has been completed. Margins are left in an unkempt fashion. There are boulders strewn around the place—even tar barrels sometimes. Grass seed is unsown. These are not matters for which the OPW is responsible but they indicate standards which the OPW, by giving a lead, could correct.
Here is an example which affects the OPW directly: the condition of the Seanad Chamber in this building. I was in it for the first time some couple of weeks ago. It has many beautiful features but I was appalled to note that the paint on the walls, the surrounds of the fireplaces and the skirtings is in most urgent need of restoration. This chamber must be a showpiece in the national Parliament. I was disappointed to see its present condition. The windows were dirty. The blue type of velvet curtain we see in this chamber was in the Seanad Chamber also but was not properly draped and there were not proper pelmets over the windows. We had the incongruous contrast of a most beautiful ceiling, gorgeous fireplaces and doors with grubby windows, untidy curtains and inadequate pelmets. That this is allowed to exist in the Parliament building is an indication of standards that are not being set by the OPW. That office has a heavy responsibility to ensure that that sort of thing comes to an end: it should never have happened. I should like to see evidence of a very conscious acceptance of that responsibility.
One particular way in which the OPW can give that lead and thereby improve the quality of design in this country concerns our rural national schools. We have the type built within the past ten years and we have the old type of national school which is gradually being demolished. The national schools being built at present are the same all over the country. Larger urban schools, designed by private architects, can be very attractive and exciting for both children and parents and indicate the standard I am referring to. By and large, however, the urban schools are built to the same plan and this plan is not attractive. I cannot imagine that financial considerations are the reasons for sticking to this plan because, so far as I know, every school is tendered for individually. It is not a question that the system of building relating to this design cannot be implemented because the design is found all over the country with different builders erecting it.
In my journeys from time to time through the Six Counties I have had occasion to notice the urban primary schools. They are outstandingly modern in their design. It must be good for the children to receive their early education in a well-designed, up-to-date, bright environment. I should like to see a change made by the Office of Public Works in the type of design provided for urban schools. That is something that could be looked into and it would show to the other authorities I mentioned earlier, the private sector and the local authorities, that a high standard can be achieved without any extra cost, and without any great difficulty.
There is another point which does not relate to the question of physical standards. I do not know how to categorise what I want to say. It is an item that drew my attention when I was reading through the estimated expenditure under subhead E, New Works. It is a contrast between Items 30 and 31. The provision for 1970-71 in Item 30, Daingean Reformatory, is £4,000 and the provision in Item 31, Accommodation for the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, is £60,000. I suggest this is crazy. The one reformatory we have, in Daingean, is so obviously and urgently in need of funds that I cannot understand the mentality of the State Department that would decide that that institution should get £4,000 and the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, a haven for academic academics, should get £60,000. This again shows a lack of awareness of what this country needs. Because of its position of being involved in so many operations throughout the length and breadth of the country, the Office of Public Works should give a lead. Another way it could give a lead is in regard to arterial drainage. It could give a lead on the question of standards.
The Deputy is aware that we are responsible only for buildings, repairs and improvements, and not for the administration of Daingean or the Institute for Advanced Studies.
I understand that.
This £4,000 is to finish work costing £85,000.
It is not a question of £4,000 against £60,000. I have interpreted it wrongly.
It is finishing an £85,000 scheme.
I am glad to hear that, and that my interpretation on that point was wrong. I was referring to arterial drainage and how the board could show consideration for the countryside. I do not know if any preliminary or concurrent ecological survey is ever carried out with arterial drainage schemes. If not, as a matter of urgency it should be done in every case, because these drainage schemes are of such a magnitude that they must have a traumatic effect on the Irish countryside. It is essential to ensure that the consequences of that trauma are fully anticipated so that in the carrying out of the scheme any bad consequences might adequately and competently be abated.
These schemes, of course, necessarily scar the countryside. They involve the deposit of large quantities of river spoil from the beds of the rivers and they are necessarily ugly. I often wonder if this ugliness could be softened or diminished in some way by endeavouring to level these heaps of spoil at an early stage and perhaps covering them with a slight coating of soil so that they would take grass seed early on. At the moment it is left to nature to heal these scars on the countryside. The natural process is a slow process because nature must work slowly when the heaps which it has to disguise over the years are composed mainly of gravel and adobe clay unsuitable for growing grass. In time vegetation and grass of a type would grow on these heaps of soil and disguise their ugliness. That process could be hastened without making the schemes unduly expensive. The Boyne River is now to be drained and thinking of the beauty of the Boyne Valley and the effect that this drainage must necessarily have on it, one must strongly urge on the Office of Public Works to try to devise some way of softening this blow to the beauty of the Boyne Valley.
The Parliamentary Secretary dealt with the responsibility of his Office for the River Shannon and said that the comissioners have a special interest in the River Shannon basin as a recreational waterway which could offer an extensive and wide range of recreational, archaeological and scenic attractions. He also mentioned the immense potential of the Shannon as a recreational centre and said that potential could not be overestimated. He said that the commissioners are co-operating fully with Bord Fáilte and the local authorities in the development and promotion of the Shannon basin as a recreational waterway and that his office was responsible for the maintenance and management of the River Shannon navigation.
He went on to mention that private investment was of the order of £1¾ million, which is a huge investment by our standards, and that the annual income generated by the boat hire industry is about £400,000. Of course, investment is continuing and, as investment continues to increase, so will income continue to increase, provided the Shannon is properly managed. I regret to say that at the moment this is not happening. At the moment navigation north of Athlone to Lanesboro' and, in fact, to Tarmonbarry is hazardous and, for certain types of craft, it is not possible because last Friday week ten sluice gates at Athlone were lifted. Although representations were made as speedily as possible— and they were nearly all closed— nevertheless, between the opening of the sluices and the taking effect of the representations, the level of Lough Ree was reduced. The Shannon at Athlone has fallen below the weir wall.
Since the 1934 Act the ESB have power to reduce the level of Lough Ree to a level two feet below the weir wall at Athlone. If they do this they make navigation north of Athlone impossible. There is no point in the Parliamentary Secretary stating in his speech that the commissioners are co-operating fully with Bord Fáilte and the local authorities in the promotion of the Shannon as a recreational waterway. The waters of the Shannon are not now available as a recreational waterway for boats wishing to use it. Last year the same thing happened.
A meeting was held in Athlone between interested parties using the Shannon, representatives of the Office of Public Works and the ESB, to discuss this matter. I understand from people who were present that while the ESB made sympathetic noises they indicated that if at any time they felt it necessary or desirable they would open the sluices at Athlone and lower the level even if it would make navigation impossible. They did that last year. The summer level in Lough Derg was above what might normally be expected. The jetty at Mountshannon was covered. If the ESB say that this must be the position in relation to Ardnacrusha it is very difficult to contradict them. In 1934, when Ardnacrusha was possibly the only generating plant in the country and when the Shannon was not a recreational waterway this was understandable but in this day and age when the output from Ardnacrusha is, I understand, only a very small percentage of the total electricity output of the ESB I think the Office of Public Works will have to say to the ESB: "You can no longer have control of the level of Lough Ree." It has come to that stage.
Again, it seems peculiar that in the summer the ESB should be so anxious about keeping Lough Derg at panic level to suit Ardnacrusha because the loading the ESB might normally expect from the necessity to provide heat is absent in summer and the demand on its output is consequently less. I am puzzled as to why the ESB needs Lough Derg kept at the level it insists on maintaining there. I think the ESB would certainly have to satisfy the Office of Public Works beyond all doubt that it needs this level as a matter of urgency. Even if it does, the Office of Public Works would have to decide which will now take precedence, the value to the economy of the Shannon as a holiday waterway or the value to the economy of the electricity produced by Ardnacrusha, bearing in mind that, as the Parliamentary Secretary has told us, private investment in the Shannon at present is £1.75 million. I know it is rising.
I do not think there is a compromise between the two situations. It may be suggested that dredging would be a compromise. The Parliamentary Secretary mentioned that the commissioners were about to undertake improvement works in the navigation channel between Lanesboro' and Tarmonbarry. I understand this, in effect, will be dredging and that one reason that may be offered for allowing the water to come from Lough Ree at this time of year is that the level on this stretch will be lowered and thereby make dredging easier. This is ridiculous because if the dredger is going to be affected by a drop of three or four feet there is something wrong.
Again, Lough Ree cannot be dredged. Possibly, the navigation channel could be dredged but it would deprive Lough Ree of its attractions as a tourist waterway if boats were to be confined to the navigation channel only and it became patently unsafe for them to leave it. When the water is at what I call normal level, above its present level, it is possible for a careful yachtsman using the charts of the late Colonel Rice's Shell Guide to explore Lough Ree and its islands but at the moment, because of the abnormally low level of the water, this would be highly hazardous. It has even been said to me by a fisherman who was born and reared on an island in Lough Ree and thought he knew every rock in it that he never realised the dangers he was sailing over until this summer and last summer when the low water exposed rocks that he did not dream existed. If the rocks are exposed they are not so dangerous; they are visible to the navigator but if they are not exposed and lie some five or six inches underwater they are a real danger. These rocks would be no danger at times of normal level because the draught of the normal pleasuse cruiser would be quite shallow.
The firm of Guinness have recently invested in a fleet of cruisers and some of them are ten-berth cruisers, rather big boats, requiring a considerable amount of water for safe navigation. I understand the Guinness boats are allowed to cross Lough Ree only in convoy. It makes nonsense of our efforts to project the Shannon as a leading place in Europe for waterway holidays if boats have to travel in convoys across one of the features of the Shannon, Lough Ree.
CIE who, perhaps, led the way in making at least the Irish public conscious of the Shannon, by putting its boats there, cannot operate north of Athlone at present. Last year they had to suspend cruising for most of the season north of the town. Irish River Floatels, who now have four floatels plying on the Shannon, and who have advertised extensively and necessarily expensively here and on the Continent, cannot operate north of Athlone. This completely detracts from their programme because they offer a two-week holiday, one week in the lower Shannon and one week in the upper Shannon. If people come to this country and find that what has been advertised is not available to them, a bad advertisement leaves the country and in the tourist business bad advertising can be cumulative in its effects.
The quays at Athlone require urgent attention from the Office of Public Works in connection with their programme for the Shannon. At the moment because of the low level of the water, dirt and refuse of all types along the quays of both east and west banks are clearly visible. It would be a simple matter for the Board of Works to arrange during the winter, when the level is often low and the flow is not excessively strong, to clean the quays. In addition, navigation between the weir and the road bridge and between the road bridge and the railway bridge in Athlone is difficult and dangerous. There are old mooring stones in the middle of the river which are a navigational hazard because of the low level of the water. This will have to be cleared so that boats coming out of the lock to tie up at the quay can cross any part of the river between the lock and the town bridge in absolute safety.
Again, as I mentioned earlier today in connection with a question to the Parliamentary Secretary, weeds are a navigational hazard. The Athlone Urban Council for a number of years past, regularly each year, have drawn the attention of the Office of Public Works to the presence of these unsightly weeds. It is bad enough that they are ugly and that nobody bothers about them—this comes back to what I said when I started my speech—but the Office of Public Works are in breach of a statutory duty to maintain navigation on the Shannon by their failure to cut these weeds, because it must be acknowledged that weeds can stop a boat. One further result of the lowering of Lough Ree is the fact that because the water is not crossing the weir wall at Athlone, in the corner of the weir and the Leinster Quay there is in effect a cesspool. It is an area of dead water and into that corner flows refuse and raw sewage from cabin cruisers tied up at the quay at Athlone. If the level remains below the weir wall all summer, and unless there is an extraordinary amount of rainfall now it will have to, due to the fact that the sluices were opened a couple of weeks ago, there will be a positive nuisance in the middle of the town.
This is another effect which does not worry the ESB when they arbitrarily, as we imagine, decide to open the sluices and denude the upper Shannon of its water. Instead of having an even, gradual flow from Lough Ree through the weir at Athlone down the river, the water was let go suddenly and the flow was stopped suddenly. This has had the effect of reducing the level below the weir in Athlone for quite some distance downstream, and for any sizeable boats navigation in that direction is also hazardous.
It is now critical that the Office of Public Works would come to terms with the ESB and say to them in no uncertain manner: "Navigation on the Shannon must now take precedence", and ensure that this waterway will be available during the summer for all types of boats that are at present using it. There is little point in the Parliamentary Secretary talking about the immense potential of the Shannon as a recreational centre if it cannot be used as a recreational centre. I do not imagine that dredging will provide a compromise between the needs of the Shannon as a recreational centre and the requirements of the ESB—if the ESB can still justify this requirement as valid—because all that can be dredged in Lough Ree is a navigational channel. The rest of the lake will remain inaccessible and dangerous, and, if it is, a great deal of the benefit of the Shannon as a recreational centre is removed. Much of the dredging could have been done below Athlone and from Lanesboro' to Tarmonbarry, which would have eased the position without solving it. I understand there has been a dredger at Killalce lying idle for upwards of ten years. If that is the case it is something that requires an explanation. Again I would urge that, if dredging of the Shannon is to be carried out on any significant scale, it should be done with the very best and latest equipment and that the banks of the Shannon, where dredging is on the river portion of it, be kept free from spoil by using hoppers which can deposit the spoil in parts of Lough Ree and parts of Lough Derg. Depths of up to 100 feet are available in both of these lakes over considerable areas, and these depths can take all the spoil that will be removed in normal dredging operations. I should like to hear the Parliamentary Secretary deal with these points when he is replying and I should like to hear him say what his views are on the Shannon in relation to its position vis-à-vis the ESB.
I would suggest that the Office of Public Works would try to arrange through the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries some form of liaison with land reclamation contractors with the object of ensuring that ring forts or raths would not be bulldozed in the course of reclamation works. Ring forts are common throughout Ireland and they are so common that the farmers on whose lands they are situated are not inclined to regard them as having any historic or archaeological significance. I understand that in the few ring forts which have been excavated some things of value have been found in a good many of them. I would recall to the Parliamentary Secretary that the Ardagh chalice, perhaps our most precious relic, was found in a ring fort and that it is very important that indiscriminate and large-scale destruction of ring forts would not take place without some prior excavation to ensure they do not contain objects of value.
One can sympathise with the land reclamation contractor. He is worried about his profit and he wants to get in and get out again as quickly as he can. One can sympathise with the farmer because the fort which has always been on his land is in the way of improving the land. Between the two of them the fort can get short shrift. It would be a scandal should this happen. The only way to prevent it happening is to establish liaison between the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Office of Public Works so that when an application for land reclamation goes to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries the ground will be checked to see if there is a ring fort on it. This will not be found on a map because by and large ring forts are not shown on maps and it requires a visual inspection. No doubt the farmers and the contractors can be educated to report the existence of these, and be educated in regard to their potential importance, but until that is done and a visual inspection carried out a lot of archaeological damage and vandalism can unwittingly take place. When we remember that the Ardagh chalice was found in one of these it is serious to think that a structure which could hide such a relic might unwittingly be destroyed.
It would seem that possibly the Department of Education might be responsible for archaeological finds and archaeological research.
I understand that the Parliamentary Secretary dealt with this in his speech. He referred to the archaeological survey which started in 1965 and to the maintenance of national monuments. There may be overlapping between the two Departments but I do not think I am out of order in discussing responsibility to ensure that items of a unique archaeological value are not unwittingly destroyed.
We are doing this.
I was going to refer to the archaeological survey which started in 1965 and which has recorded monuments up to A.D. 1200 in Counties Louth, Monaghan and Meath. I would suggest that this work needs to be expanded urgently because if it is to continue at that rate a lot of monuments in the counties still to be reached will have fallen into ruin by the time the survey reaches them and the survey then will have no point. In addition to this survey all of the monuments within the care of the Office of Public Works require to be surveyed and their present condition ascertained because unfortunately many of them are in a state of neglect. I might mention Abbeyshrule which is a very substantial remains. Part of it would appear to be a belfry which seems to be in a state of falling. On Inishbofin there are unique grave slabs and a complaint was made last September that this monument required urgent attention but no action has been taken. I might also mention Clontusker. Beams were erected in 1912 to assist in the maintenance of Clontusker but the walls collapsed in 1968. That should not have happened. Clontusker was the headquarters of the O'Kellys of Hy Maine and it is a very important monument. If it was seen in 1912 that it required beams it is an appalling story of neglect that this monument collapsed in 1968. It shows a complete lack of inspection and a complete lack of knowledge because if that knowledge had been available the collapse would not have been allowed. A system needs to be devised urgently so that knowledge can be available to the Office of Public Works and no doubt when they have the knowledge the necessary action will be taken and national monuments will not be allowed to collapse.
Possibly it may be argued that if a monument collapses it can be rebuilt but then you have an ersatz national monument and it is the essential antiquity of a monument that makes it interesting to us and to tourists. Again, tourists want to see more on our monuments than a warning plaque saying that those who interfere with the monument will be prosecuted. Deputy Flanagan and Deputy Hogan O'Higgins referred to the fact that the only plaques on our national monuments were warnings of this sort. It should not be beyond the wit of the Office of Public Works to provide a concise explanatory plaque for each national monument.
That is all I wish to say on the Estimate. As I said at the outset the Office of Public Works are in a unique position to set standards of work for other public bodies and for the private sector. They have within their staff the skills and the long tradition to provide them with the necessary desire to ensure that all their work should be of a high standard. The situation in regard to the Shannon is now critical. A lot of money invested in the Shannon will be wasted unless there is enough water to maintain the upper Shannon for safe and comfortable navigation at all times of the year. I should like to see the archaeological survey speeded up so that anything of interest will be noted before it falls. I would also like to see some arrangement made to ensure that ring forts will not be bulldozed in the course of land reclamation until an investigation is carried out to ensure they do not contain anything of importance. The Office of Public Works can be of immense importance in the life of the country; they can set high standards in all their operations and give a lead to the country.
My primary interest is in regard to the arterial drainage of the River Suir. In my constituency the problem of flooding is of such importance and urgency that I would be failing in my duty as a Deputy if I failed to speak of the matter now. The Office of Public Works and the Parliamentary Secretary's predecessor are well aware of the growing anxiety about flooding in the area. The people of South Tipperary have been looking forward for a number of years past to the commencement of the arterial drainage of the Suir and its tributaries. We have had many assurances and we were given reason to believe in recent years that the commencement of the work was imminent. So close were we to commencement of the scheme that local authorities for the past few years have been unable or unwilling to carry out any minor drainage on the Suir proper or on its tributaries. As a result, there has been a complete clogging up of the Suir.
This has aggravated the problem of flooding and there have been many instances of hardship and misery during the past two winters. Thousands of acres of rich arable land in the Golden Vale of Tipperary have been inundated for long periods, villages and communities have been isolated and cut off from church, schools and shopping centres. We brought this matter to the attention of the Parliamentary Secretary's predecessor, Deputy J. Gibbons, and we have shown in graphic detail the many flood points in the constituency: Ardfinnan, Newcastle, Clonmel, Carrick-on-Suir, Cahir and many other parts. We showed photographs of the incidence of flooding and we were able to inform the Office of Public Works regarding the recurrence of such flooding.
In a period of very dry weather as we have at the moment there is great concern in many parts of my constituency that heavy rains will come, shores will be blocked up and once again we will have severe flooding, bringing with it hardship and privation for farmers, cottiers, householders and shopkeepers. My purpose in speaking here is to ask the Parliamentary Secretary to have regard to the urgent need for the arterial drainage of the Suir. There must not be any equivocation on this occasion. There must be no doubt or ambiguity about the commencement date. We have been promised that this extensive scheme will commence in 1971 and there must be no deferment. We have waited too long for this scheme and there has been far too much suffering and hardship in the meantime. This vast tract of rich arable land must be reclaimed so that we can guarantee large communities in my constituency some security against the losses incurred by flooding.
Deputy Lemass has always been most helpful and courteous to me and I have no hesitation in paying tribute to him for the excellent manner in which he is performing his duties as the person in charge of the Office of Public Works for the past two years. Too often we are critical and carping of each other but when praise is justified it should be given in an unstinted way. So far as I am concerned, Deputy Lemass is worthy of that praise and I thank him. I would be grateful if he would indicate the stage now reached in regard to drainage of the Suir and its tributaries, the kind of work envisaged, confirmation of the commencement date of the work, the form it will take and when it is likely to be completed.
The Parliamentary Secretary has very great responsibility but, equally, he has an opportunity to perform some worthwhile work for the country. The Office of Public Works deals with the preservation of all that is good and noble. They are concerned with the preservation of things historical and what we value as part of our national heritage. For what they do in this preservation work they deserve the support and commendation of us all. Whether it be castle, tower, moat or monument, it is right that these things be preserved and maintained for posterity. We all deplore acts of vandalism on monuments so preserved by the Office of Public Works and if it is possible to bring in more stern measures against these vandals who desecrate such places I do not hesitate to suggest that such legislation be enforced.
I have observed the good work being done in respect of the erection and repair of our schools, especially the primary schools. I was glad to learn that managers may now carry out certain repairs and provide sanitary facilities in schools. The old schools—cold, dark, dilapidated and lacking in sanitary facilities and running water—have long been a bone of contention. I trust that handing over responsibility to school managers now will result in some modernisation of these schools and in the provision of the essential amenities. I should like to think, however, the Parliamentary Secretary will have overriding responsibility to ensure that these things are done. Last week here I raised a question about a school in my constituency which has as yet no running water and no proper sanitary facilities. It is true that a comprehensive school will be erected in the area, but its erection will take a considerable time. In the meantime the children should not have to undergo the hardship of being deprived of running water and proper sanitary facilities.
I am pleased to note that worthwhile progress has been made in the erection of three schools for the mentally handicapped. I have one grievance. It may not be relevant to the Office of Public Works. I should prefer to see schools erected for the severely handicapped. I appreciate I am now impinging on Health. The main difficulty is providing proper institutional treatment for the severely mentally or physically handicapped. There are large numbers of unfortunate boys and girls who have been waiting for a long number of years for bed accommodation. No such accommodation is forthcoming. If the Office of Public Works would use its influence in this regard it would be a great act of charity. Positive steps should be taken to reduce the numbers of severely handicapped awaiting accommodation. Many of them are confined in mental hospitals. These children should not be domiciled with adults in mental institutions just because there is no proper accommodation for them. I would urge the Office of Public Works to bend their energies to the provision of accommodation for the severely handicaped. It is high time we tried to reduce the numbers awaiting proper treatment.
I am glad to see that the improvements in Clonmel post office will take place this year. There is overcrowding and a lack of modern amenities. We have no automatic telephone exchange. I trust the plans envisage the automatic telephone exchange.
With regard to Garda barracks, many of us are saddened to see barracks closed and gardaí transferred, with resultant anxiety to local inhabitants. Barracks should be maintained in good condition. Proper facilities should be provided.
I trust the Office of Public Works will continue the good work of maintaining our national monuments. There should be close liaison between the Office of Public Works and local authorities in the maintenance and surveillance of our historic monuments. We did have local national monument committees. In my local authority area I notice there has been no meeting of the local national monuments committee for quite some time. Is this due to inactivity on the part of the council or to inactivity on the part of the Office of Public Works? I was a member of this body for a few years and I was very conscious of the dedication of the members. They had an amazing knowledge of local historical matters and they were prepared to make personal sacrifices in order to preserve what was historically worthy of preservation. Too much that was worthy of preservation has been swept away by the bulldozers. It is time to cry "Halt". Places of historical importance have been destroyed. There is no recognition of great men of the past. I am sorry to say that, in my home town of Clonmel apart from the great men of Irish origin who came from that town, great literary men in the English-speaking world such as Anthony Trollope and George Borrow had close association with that town, lived there for many years and garnered many an idea there which in their genius they put to good literary use afterwards. There is no indication, no sign or token, to show that either of these two literary men had any association with the houses or the town in question. This is to be deplored. It is important that tourists, especially English-speaking tourists the world over who have a flair for English literature, should know that men such as Anthony Trollope, George Borrow, and the like, had an association with an Irish town. Perhaps I could best sum up the intrinsic value of the Office of Public Works in matters appertaining to things historical by quoting the words of Thomas Davis:
This land of ours is no mere sand bank thrown up by some recent caprice of earth but is an ancient land honoured in the archives of quity by its piety, its valour and its civilisation and transcending anti-suffering.
I wish the Parliamentary Secretary well and thank him for his personal courtesy and kindness to me.
(Cavan): I should like to join with other speakers in congratulating Deputy Lemass on his appointment as Parliamentary Secretary in charge of the Office of Public Works. I am satisfied that, during his stay there, he will continue to extend the courtesy to us that we have been accustomed to expect. It is very desirable in Parliamentary life that we should have members of the Government—whether they be senior Ministers or junior Ministers—who are prepared to discuss matters with members of the Opposition, whether in their offices or across the floor of this House, in a friendly and constructive manner.
The Parliamentary Secretary and the office which he administers are charged with responsibility for arterial drainage. Arterial drainage deals with a great national problem. While it is a very serious national problem, it is also what I might describe as a regional problem. It can be more acute in one region of the country than in another.
For example, arterial drainage, in so far as it affects a country or a constituency of small agricultural holders such as we have in my constituency of Cavan, presents a much more serious problem than it does in the more wealthy counties, the counties of larger holdings. In assessing the problem and in deciding on priorities, the Government and the Parliamentary Secretary should keep that clearly before them and should direct their attention to relieving flooding and reclaiming land in areas where the holdings are small and where land is accordingly proportionately more valuable.
The constituency of Cavan is very badly affected by flooding. Much land needs to be reclaimed and relieved of flooding. I am afraid that, in assessing priorities, the Government do not always keep that before them. As an example of that, I might point out that, when the Boyne scheme was first drafted—indeed, I think, when it was approved or at least when it was exhibited—certain tributaries of the Boyne in County Cavan, east Cavan, were excluded entirely from it. Representations were then made by Cavan County Council and the matter was raised by me in this House. I think I am correct in saying that, as a result of those representations, the portion of Cavan which should originally have been included in the scheme was included. I know the Parliamentary Secretary will confirm that fact but by far the greater part of County Cavan which is affected by flooding can be relieved only by the drainage of the river Erne—and this is something that seems to have been put on the long finger.
Every time that we public representatives bring up with the county council or with the OPW the question of drainage in Cavan we are told that it must await the drainage of the Erne. I raised the matter with the present Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries in 1967 when he was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance, with special reference to the Woodford canal in Ballyconnell. The then Parliamentary Secretary, Deputy James Gibbons, told me that a special survey had been carried out, including a survey of the lakes; that that took over a year but was then completed in 1967. He also told me that the preparation of the scheme was proceeding and promised that the question of the examination of the Woodford river would be taken up.
I should like the Parliamentary Secretary to tell me the present position regarding the River Erne because it affects a vast acreage all over County Cavan and because nothing worthwhile can be done with drainage in Cavan until the Erne is tackled. We are a county of small farmers. When a man with 15, 20, 25 or 30 acres of land finds that a substantial portion of his small holding is subject to flooding, it is a very serious matter for him, and it is a very serious matter for the economy of the county. I would strongly urge the Parliamentary Secretary to use his influence with the Government to get work on the River Erne commenced so that land all over the county which is affected by the Erne may be attended to.
I raise the matter of Woodford canal because not only is it causing flooding to the land of farmers in the Ballyconnell area but it is also depriving that area of a valuable tourist attraction. If the river were drained and the locks removed, it could serve as a waterway which would attract many tourists and would eventually connect the Erne and the Shannon. That is all I want to say about that aspect of drainage. I cannot emphasise too strongly how important this matter of the Erne is in County Cavan.
Some years ago the Inny at the extreme end of the county was drained. The Inny was used for as long as anyone can remember for boating between Lough Sheelin and Lough Kineal in the Finea district. Two or three years ago, for some unknown reason, after the drainage was completed, the Office of Public Works erected a huge dam in the river at the Bridge of Finea, completely obstructing the river and making it impossible for boats to pass under the bridge from one lake to the other. Before the drainage was carried out there was a lesser obstruction some distance on one side of the bridge, but this obstruction was so constructed that it did not prevent boating on the river, and boats could pass freely from one side to the other.
There is grave objection in the Finea area to this obstruction. I think it was a completely illegal act and the Office of Public Works may have to defend their action elsewhere. If I can persuade them, by the few words I have to say here today, to undo this wrong and restore the river to its former state as far as navigation between the two lakes I mentioned is concerned, the Office of Public Works will avoid having to defend an action in the courts and save many people a lot of trouble.
It may be that there is some reason connected with levels of lakes or something like that, but it is an unjustifiable reason. The dam there is unsightly. I think it is unnecessary. If the Office of Public Works insist that some dam or obstruction of the water is necessary, it should not be beyond their powers or the ingenuity of their advisers to do it in such a way that would still permit the movement of boats up and down the river with the minimum trouble, inconvenience or annoyance. This is a huge, ignorant-looking dam that any unskilled labourer could design and put there. The people in the district are very upset and very worried, and they resent it very much.
I have made written representations about this before. I do not think I got any final decision one way or the other and I take that to mean that the Office of Public Works have realised that they have a difficult problem on their hands and they are now soft-peddling. I should like them now to consider it seriously and I wish them to know that the matter will not be allowed to rest where it is.
The Office of Public Works act as building agents for various Departments in matters like the building of schools, Garda barracks and so on. I think I am correct in saying that they also act as purchasing agents where, instead of erecting a new building they decide to buy an existing building and convert it into a Garda barracks or offices for some Departments. I believe the Office of Public Works are operating under an antiquated system in this respect. If they are to continue to act as purchasing agents at a time when there is a big demand for buildings, they will have to revise their approach and cut red tape. If their approach was revised and if the red tape was cut, they would not only be better equipped to purchase these buildings, but they would also eventually save the State a considerable amount of money.
I know of two instances at least where properties came on the market and the Office of Public Works should have known that these properties were required for State purposes, or at least the Departments for whom they were acting as agents should have known. Neither of them knew and the properties changed hands and then, within a comparatively short time, the Board of Works had to step in and buy them at a very considerable profit in each case. That is bad business and it is probably due to the fact that the various officials are tied up in red tape. The file must be in order. These things have to be inspected and approved by somebody else. They have to go to the Department of Finance and receive approval there. In the meantime, the bird has flown.
If I can point to two instances of that we can be sure it is happening all over the country. This purchasing agency would require to be modernised, geared to deal with modern conditions and geared to deal with the situation in which properties change hands quickly. There is keen competition, and property that is available this week may have changed hands next week. In the two instances I mentioned, the Office of Public Works eventually obtained the premises but they might not have been available.