asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state the actual length of drains, watercourses and small rivers, cleaned and deepened in each county in Ireland since work commenced under the Local Authorities (Works) Act.

The particulars requested by the Deputy would have to be extracted from returns relating to more than 11,000 separate schemes. The staff in the relevant section of the Department could not be detached from their ordinary duties to compile these particulars, which in any event would not give a full picture of the work executed as details of lineal measurement are frequently qualified by cubic measurement of excavation. In the circumstances I trust that the Deputy will agree that the preparation of a return as requested by him would not be warranted.