asked the Minister for Finance if a petition by the rated occupiers on the River Tar, Co. Tipperary, for drainage scheme has been received by the Commissioners of Public Works from the Tipperary (S.R.) County Council; if he is aware that a very considerable tract of land in this area is seriously affected owing to the flooding of the Tar River, and whether, as the occupiers are very anxious that a scheme should be drafted, he will take steps to have an immediate examination made in the matter by the engineers of the Commissioners of Public Works with a view to having the necessary work carried out during the coming summer months.

The Commissioners of Public Works have received from the County Council of County Tipperary South Riding a petition under the Arterial Drainage Act, 1925, in respect of the Tar River and it will be investigated by them in due course when staff is available and other circumstances permit. In view of the large number of such petitions received by them, many of which concern more pressing and urgent cases, they are not in a position to arrange for an immediate inspection.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary say when a staff will be available and when will circumstances permit of this scheme being carried out?

Something like 500 petitions have been received under the Act and what we are endeavouring to do is to select the most urgent cases in each county with a view to ensuring that work may be started on some schemes as soon as possible in each county.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary state on what grounds is urgency decided? In my opinion this is a very urgent case. There are people on the Tar river who cannot approach their houses at all owing to the flooding. I would like to know if the Parliamentary Secretary will receive representations as to the urgency of this particular case, and if possible put it before some of the others.

I think the Board of Works engineers are the best judges of urgency because they have to deal with the country as a whole.

asked the Minister for Finance if he will state (a) the number of drainage schemes under the Arterial Drainage Act, 1925, which have been passed by the County Councils of North and South Tipperary, and which are now before the Minister for examination; (b) the drainage schemes which have been examined by the Commissioners of Public Works, and in regard to which schemes have been drafted and submitted to the rated occupiers for decision.

Thirteen petitions have been received from the North Riding, and three from the South Riding. None has yet been submitted to the rated occupiers. Five out of the sixteen have been examined; one has been rejected as uneconomic, the Suir River; two, the Nenagh River and the Currabeha River, are in process of valuation; two, the Multeen and the Cloughjordan, have been valued, and it is probable that the Multeen case will be submitted to the votes of the occupiers in the spring.

Arising out of the answer given by the Parliamentary Secretary I hold that he has not given the information I asked for in the second part of the question following (b). He only gave the number that had been passed, but I want information with regard to the drainage schemes that have been examined by the Commissioners.

That is stated in the reply. I set out in the reply that five out of the sixteen have been examined; that one has been rejected; that two are in process of valuation, and that two have been valued, and, further, that as regards the latter— Multeen and Cloughjordan — it is probable that the Multeen case would be submitted to the votes of the occupiers in the spring.

You have not stated the names of the schemes that have been examined. You mentioned the names of two which have been referred to the occupiers.

I have given the five.

Did you give the names of the five?

Would the Parliamentary Secretary say what schemes have been rejected? Would he give the names of the three schemes that have been turned down, and of the five which have been examined?

Only one has been rejected.

What is the name of that one?

The Suir River.

What are the names of the other two, apart from the two that have been passed?

I had better read the reply all over again. (Reply reread.)

asked the Minister for Finance whether a petition for the drainage of the Anner River district, County Tipperary, has been sanctioned by the South Tipperary County Council and forwarded to the Commissioners of Public Works for consideration, and, if so, if he will state when it is proposed to have this district examined by the engineers of the Commissioners of Public Works with a view to the drafting of a scheme for drainage under the Arterial Drainage Act, 1925, and if in view of the fact that a considerable area of land is affected by the flooding of this river, he will take steps to have the scheme prepared in time to allow work to commence during the coming summer months.

The Commissioners of Public Works have received from the Kilkenny and Tipperary (South Riding) County Councils petitions under the Arterial Drainage Act, 1925, in respect of the drainage of the Anner river and will have the proposals contained therein investigated in due course when staff is available and as circumstances permit. Their programme of inspections is full for some time to come and it is not possible at present to name a date for the inspection of this district.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary say whether any drainage schemes will be carried out in South Tipperary during the coming summer?

There is both the intention and the desire to have some drainage work done in every county during the coming summer, if at all possible.

Is it a fact that the failure of the Board of Works to secure the necessary staff is due to the fact that they are offering salaries below those which should be offered to qualified engineers? Perhaps Deputy Heffernan will assist the Minister to see that proper salaries are paid.