asked the Minister for Finance when drainage schemes will be carried out at Culdaff River and Glentogher River in County Donegal.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Donegal Drainage Schemes.
15.
Mr. Kenny
The Culdaff and Glentogher rivers are small catchments and there are no proposals at present to drain them. While the need for drainage in smaller catchments is appreciated, the best use can be made of available resources, and the national drainage problem more quickly resolved, by concentrating on the catchments included in settled priority lists which have been upheld by successive Governments.
In view of the importance of the drainage of small rivers which are not in the two existing categories and in view of the fact that these are mainly in mountainous western areas of the county, would the Parliamentary Secretary not consider a third category to deal with these smaller catchment areas? Apart from the advantage of draining these rivers the overall effect would be beneficial to the western areas as a whole.
Mr. Kenny
The Deputy must understand there were three categories at one time—major, intermediate and minor catchment areas. In 1963 the intermediate and the minor catchment areas were abolished.
Not at all.
That is not so. The intermediate ones were not.
Mr. Kenny
My information is that they were dropped in 1963.
The minor schemes were not.
Mr. Kenny
That is my information.