asked the Minister for Local Government if his Department will make a special grant available to Mallow and Macroom urban councils to improve urban roads in these urban areas.

There are no funds at my disposal from which a grant for the improvement of urban roads in Mallow and Macroom might be provided.

asked the Minister for Local Government if his Department will make a special grant available to the Cork County Council to improve the main road from Newmarket to Charleville.

Cork County Council, like other county councils, will be notified shortly of the Road Fund grants available to them for 1953/54.

The Wexford County Council would like to know what theywill get from the Road Fund in the coming year.

I do not blame the county council for wishing to have that information. I hope that neither the Deputy nor the council will blame me if I am a bit interested in what they are going to provide for roads also.

Is it not a fact that the Minister is going to hold out until he sees what the councils are going to spend first?

It is not a fact.

The Minister's action in connection with the matter would lead the House to understand that that is what he means.

It is not what I mean. I may harbour such thoughts but they may not be the cause of the witholding of the information.

When did the Minister know last year?

About this time last year: I think it was a little later.

Most of the members of the county council want to hear from the Minister in the matter.

The Deputy will have noticed that a number of county councils have not taken that course but have made their own decisions and struck their rates having regard to the circumstances as they know them.

We will do that too, but we want to know the particulars. We are expecting more money this year than we got last year.

I hope you will get more.

I hope so.

asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state what percentage of the Road Fund grant he is prepared to allocate to South Tipperary County Council.

I hope to notify the RoadFund grants for the year 1953/54 to county councils in the near future.