I move:—
That the Local Government Provisional Orders Confirmation Bill, 1950, be now read a Second Time.
Local Government Provisional Orders Confirmation Bill, 1950—Second and Subsequent Stages.
An Leas-Chathaoirleach
Question put and agreed to.
No petition has been lodged against this Bill and it would greatly facilitate local authorities if we could get all stages of the Bill to-day.
I am not clear, and I am sure that other members of the Seanad are not clear, as to where we are going, because I do not believe we have a copy of the Bill.
Oh, yes.
The ordinary procedure is that the Minister, apart from asking for all stages of the Bill, makes at least a short statement as to the purpose of the Bill on Second Reading. I am not particularly interested in Limerick or in Bray, but before I am asked to pass this Bill, I must have some reasons adduced by the Minister.
The purpose of this Bill is to confirm the two provisional Orders set out in the First and Second Schedules. These Orders have no effect unless confirmed by the Oireachtas.
The First Schedule contains the text of the City of Limerick (Extension of Boundary) Provisional Order, 1950. That Order proposes to add to the City of Limerick a contiguous part of the county of approximately 3,000 acres. The purpose of the extension of the city is to facilitate the development of the housing policy of the Limerick Corporation. It is reasonable that the houses built by a local authority should be within the area over which it has jurisdiction. The petition of the corporation sought to have included in the city an area approximately 6,000 acres including a portion of County Clare. The whole question was fully discussed at a public inquiry, and subsequently with representatives of the local authorities concerned. On consideration of the whole question it appeared that the case for the inclusion of part of County Clare has not been established, and that the area sought to be taken from County Limerick was rather beyond the limit within which development might reasonably be expected to take place within the not too distant future. The compromise has, I think, satisfied both parties.
The other parts of the Order have in the main been taken from the Local Government (Dublin) Act, 1930, as provided by the Limerick City Management Act, 1934. Provision is made for the necessary consequential financial adjustments between the corporation and the county council, and for the payment to the county council of a sum in respect of increase of burden and for the loss of benefit occasioned as a consequence of the extension. Provision is also made whereby the added area will not pay the full Limerick City rate for a period of ten years. In the interim the city rate will be adjusted as provided in Part II of the Schedule.
The Second Schedule contains the text of the Bray Urban District (Financial Relations) Order, 1950, and it proposes to amend the provisions of Article 1 (b) of the Bray (Financial Relations) Order, 1903. The Order of 1903 exempted the Bray Urban District from contributing to the salary and pension of the county surveyor for County Wicklow. At that time the Bray Council was responsible for all roads within the urban district but since 1927 all the main roads in the urban district have been maintained by the county council. It is equitable, therefore, that the financial relations between the county council and the urban district should be altered in this respect. The urban council considered the request of the county council for this alteration and stated that they will be agreeable to contribute towards the salary of the county engineer and the superannuation of the former county engineer.
As the original adjustment was made by a Provisional Order confirmed by Parliament, it is necessary that any amendment be made by a Provisional Order confirmed by the Oireachtas.
Agreed to take the remaining stages to-day.
Bill passed through Committee, received for final consideration and passed.