asked the Minister for Finance the present position of the Arrow-Owenmore rivers on the priority list of major catchments under the Arterial Drainage Act, 1945.
741.
Written Answers. - Arterial Drainage.
740.
asked the Minister for Finance when the survey of the Arrow-Owenmore catchment area for the purposes of arterial drainage started; when it was completed; when the design of a scheme for this catchment area started; if it has been completed; if not, the the cause of the delay; and the estimated date on which it will be completed.
743.
asked the Minister for Finance if, in view of the fact that there are 3,100 farms in the Arrow-Owenmore catchment area, many of them subject to flooding and precluded from participation in the western drainage scheme because of excessively high water levels, he will seek a special allocation of EEC funds for arterial drainage so that the farmers can have the advantage of grants generally available to their colleagues in the Western areas, and so that productivity can be increased over an area of 126,000 acres where the average size of farm is only 29 acres.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 740, 741 and 743 together. The Owenmore catchment of which the Arrow forms part is No. 16 on the priority list of major catchments.
Field surveys of the Owenmore catchment were carried out intermittently between 1963 and 1973 as engineering resources became available. Some progress has been made with the design of a scheme which commenced in 1976. It has not so far been possible to allocate a full engineering team to complete the scheme and it is not possible at this stage to say when it might be completed.
When a scheme for the Owenmore catchment has been prepared it will be considered for whatever EEC funds might be available.
742.
asked the Minister for Finance the rivers on the list of major catchments (where drainage work has not yet started) for which (1) designs have been completed and (2) formal schemes have been prepared.
The Boyle River is the only major catchment for which a formal arterial drainage scheme has been prepared and on which construction works have not yet started. Works on the scheme will start in July in conjunction with works on the Bonet scheme.
While some progress has been made with the design of schemes for the Suir, Owenmore (Sligo) and Mulcair catchments no scheme for a major catchment other than the Boyle River is complete.