asked the Minister for Finance if he has any plans for harbour improvements at Roonagh, County Mayo.

The design of proposed improvement works at Roonagh comprising a new pier, stormwall, approach road, causeway and ancillary works is in hands and is expected to be completed in 1982. Pending completion of the design work it is not possible to say, at this stage, when the proposed improvement works at Roonagh will commence.

In view of the fact that considerable development has taken place on the island and that Mayo County Council have now provided a transit shed at Roonagh, would the Minister ensure that work will be commenced as quickly as possible at Roonagh?

In 1969 the drawings and specifications for the proposed works at Roonagh Point were forwarded to Mayo County Council for approval. Council engineers met the commissioners' engineers on a number of occasions to discuss these and other proposals for improvements at Roonagh Point. The county council did not approve of the plan submitted in 1969 and pressed for a large scale development to provide sheltered anchorage. Such a scheme could not be considered because it was outside the mandate received by the Commissioners for Public Works and it would have proved very expensive to implement. Therefore, all delays are not due to the Department.

Can the Minister indicate when work is likely to start there?

In July 1980 the Department of Finance were advised that an alternative scheme was estimated to cost £350,000 and in January 1981 they sanctioned the proposal. The task of preparing drawings and specifications was put in hand and these are expected to be available early in 1982.

May I take it that, despite the fact of progress having been made up to January 1981, it appears that the Minister cannot give any indication when the works are likely to commence?

Obviously, the design work must be finished before we can proceed to the next stage.

Is there anything in the Minister's file to indicate when these plans will be finalised and the work started?

Preparation of the designs is being carried out with all possible speed but I would remind the Deputy that the design work was put in hand only in January 1981 and that normally this part of a project of this kind takes more than a year to complete.

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