asked the Minister for Finance the acreage of land in the catchment areas of the Finn, Fane, Dromore and Blackwater Rivers in County Monaghan liable to flooding.

The portions of the Finn and Dromore catchments in County Monaghan include about 12,000 acres of damaged land, i.e., lands which are inadequately drained. I cannot supply the information sought in relation to the Fane and Blackwater catchments as they have not yet been surveyed.

Would the Parliamentary Secretary not agree that with present land values an all-out effort should be made to have more arterial drainage schemes implemented?

An all-out effort should have been made for the past 40 years to have arterial drainage carried out. It is one of the most essential measures to help farmers and it should have begun with the Shannon.

We preferred to start with the Moy.

What are the Government doing about it?