asked the Minister for Finance if the Office of Public Works left a plant number 8/26, an excavator or similar machine, unattended recently along the Grand Canal at Davitt Road, Dublin 6; if, this was damaged; if so, the extent of the damage; the cost of repairs; and whether such a vehicle, which costs in the region of £40,000 should have been left abandoned.
Written Answers. - OPW Excavator.
67.
I assume that the Deputy is referring to the excavator which has been in use on the Grand Canal east of Suir Road Bridge for the past four weeks and which was damaged by vandals in the early evening of Friday, 19 February while between Herberton Bridge and Dolphin's Barn Bridge. Outside working hours all the vulnerable parts of the machine are encased in steel and consequently the damage inflicted by the vandals was superficial. The excavator was restored to working order within six hours of starting time on the following Monday at a cost estimated to be in the region of £700.
I am satisfied that all reasonable measures to protect the excavator when not in use were taken.
68.
asked the Minister for Finance the number of 22R/B excavators held by the Office of Public Works and their value; the number of 30R/B excavators and their value; the number of 38R/B excavators and their value stored and not in use at the Office of Public Works depot in Inchicore, Dublin 8; and the reason this machinery is being left lying around.
The use of dragline excavators on arterial drainage and other civil engineering projects undertaken by the Commissioners of Public Works is governed by the availability of resources for and the level of activity on these projects at any given time. There are a number of such machines awaiting redeployment currently stored in the Central Engineering Workshops in Inchicore, whose future will be determined in the light of the Commissioners future programme requirements. Those not required will be offered for sale, in the usual manner, by public competition. The details sought are as follows:
|
Machine Type |
Number |
Time of Purchase |
|
22R/B |
12 |
1977-80 |
|
30R/B |
5 |
1977-79 |
|
38R/B |
3 |
1963 |
It is not possible to say what the present value of these machines is. That could only be determined by the bids received if they were offered for sale and would obviously be only a fraction of the purchase price.