Deputy Wycherley complained this morning that the Board of Works were apparently unaware of the existence of a place called Cork. But for the fact that Leinster House is situated in Dublin, I think I could make the same complaint and say that the Board of Works are not very aware of the existence of Dublin. Admittedly, other Departments, such as the Department of Justice and the Department of Posts and Telegraphs, have some building activity in the city carried out by the Board of Works or by contractors employed by the Board of Works.
Deputy Wycherley's complaint was that no drainage whatever had taken place in Cork. Last March 12 months, I raised the question here of the Dodder River. I was informed by the then Parliamentary Secretary that he could not deal with the matter because the Dodder did not drain agricultural land, and that in accordance with the terms of the Drainage Act of 1945, he could drain only agricultural land. I was having a look at the index to the Statutes and I turned over to the description of the various Drainage Acts. We have the following Acts: 1926 (Owenmore), 1927 (Barrow), 1928 (Minor Schemes), 1933 (Barrow), 1943 (Fergus) and 1945 (General). The 1945 Act is listed as a general Drainage Act and not a Drainage Act to cover only agricultural land. I followed that up and had a look at the particular Act. While I know it is not the Minister's duty to interpret the Acts, in the entire Act of 1945 "agricultural land" is not mentioned even once. It refers to "the drainage of lands." I maintain the Parliamentary Secretary has the power under these Acts to deal with the problems caused by the peak flooding of the Dodder.
I accepted the explanation that there was greater hardship and that it was better in the national interest that these agricultural lands be attended to first. However, when the flooding took place in the midlands about a year ago, I went down to have a look at it. It looked almost as bad as it appeared in the newspapers. Several families were staying in Army barracks and so on. I immediately felt that perhaps I had been right in not pushing the question of the Dodder, but talking to the people in the area, I found there did not seem to be as much sympathy for these poor farmers as I anticipated, because, apparently, each year the river floods, they get much greater yields from their lands. Apparently, they are treated quite well during the time their homes are flooded. I do not know whether that is true or not but that is the reaction I got from people in the midlands. Whereas I went down full of sympathy, the local people had very little sympathy at all.
The River Dodder flooding affects principally 160 houses in Orwell Gardens, and other flooding takes place between there and the sea. These houses are occupied almost entirely by middle-class people, tradesmen, labouring men and clerical workers in the main. They have bought these houses on their own and Dublin Corporation are spending the equivalent of one penny in the £ on the rates each year in an effort to relieve somewhat the flooding caused by this river. Dublin Corporation, however, have not got the machinery, and in fact I doubt if they have even the engineering staff available, to take on a major scheme such as the River Dodder involves.
I should like the Parliamentary Secretary to have another look at this question because it is not very encouraging to people to invest their savings in the purchase of their own houses. In fact, some of these people regret very much that they did not take what facilities were available to them under the Housing of the Working Classes Acts and ask Dublin Corporation to house them. If they had, and there was any flooding, then it would have to be taken care of by the Corporation. There are also new houses off the Lower Dodder Road. I have seen the flood marks three or four feet up on the walls, and the floods destroyed new carpets, furniture and pianos, with no effort made by the Government except by way of emergency relief grants to assist in tackling the problem.
I understand that some years ago there was a priority list of rivers drawn up and I had that list a short while ago. I got information from the City Engineer's office that it was announced some considerable number of years ago that the first river which flows through Dublin due to be dealt with is the Tolka. I asked how long would that take and I was told it would probably be 20 to 25 years, and the Dodder is away down below that again. I expect everybody in this House will be dead and buried by the time it comes to be tackled, if that rate of progress is maintained, unless the new Parliamentary Secretary, whom I congratulate on his appointment—he is an energetic man—deals with this problem out of consideration for the hardship caused to residents along the banks of the Dodder.
Just as a matter of interest, if it is Government policy not to deal with any river which is considered to be purely an urban river, I can suggest that the Dodder could possibly be dealt with as a catchment of the River Liffey which, in fact, it is, and in that way we would not interfere with Government policy.
There is not very much I want to say on this Estimate because, as I have said, with the exception of a few buildings, the Board of Works is not very much aware of the presence of Dublin. However, I noticed here today that we had a few large coachfuls of school children in the Visitors' Gallery. They come in on what I understand are C.I.E. educational tours and if the Parliamentary Secretary has any money available, though I do not know where he would get the space, I would suggest to him seriously that he must in some way endeavour to provide facilities for the six or eight buses that park outside in the middle of Kildare Street. Perhaps it could be arranged that they would come in through Government Buildings because the whole of Kildare Street is obstructed when buses park there. That is a type of tour that we must encourage, but at the same time perhaps the Parliamentary Secretary would try to get these buses off the street.
Deputy P.J. Burke referred to Skerries harbour. That is in county Dublin but I am very familiar with the problem that exists there. It appears that some years ago the Board of Works carried out improvements to the neighbouring harbour at Loughshinny and whatever went wrong, Loughshinny silted up. The boats moored there were forced to come to Skerries and now we have boats, four and five abreast tied to each other at Skerries and taking bottom twice every twenty-four hours which, I understand, will considerably shorten their life. The fishermen tell me that as a result of constantly taking bottom, they reckon that the boats will be lucky to last while they are making their full repayments on them, and that they will probably be forced to buy new boats as soon as they have paid for their existing ones.
One major piece of land owned by the Board of Works is Phoenix Park. Some months ago, I brought to the attention of the Parliamentary Secretrary, by way of Parliamentary Question, the fact that since the Gough monument had been blown up, its base now constitutes a traffic hazard. While the top was on the pedestal, people driving from the country into the city through Phoenix Park could see a silhouette of the monument, but now it is gone and apparently it is not to be replaced. It was replaced on a couple of occasions, but apparently it will not be again. The Parliamentary Secretary said he would look into the possibility of having reflectors placed around the base of the monument and I should like to hear if that matter has yet been considered. I sincerely believe that the least that should be done is that reflectors should be placed around the base, or an alternative would be to re-site it on the side of the road, or some yards in off the road.
In this regard, the French authorities have taken practically every monument off the centre of their roads and moved them to the sides. Some of these monuments bear no inscriptions. Nobody knows who put them up, why they were put up or what they commemorate; they are retained purely as works of art. I suggest that as far as Phoenix Park is concerned, the best way to deal with the monument is to re-site it in more protected ground, such as the Zoological Gardens. It might then be worth considering the re-erection of the monument because, though we may not have any particular love for the man on the horse, it was a very beautiful statue. I think most people agree it was a work of art, and from that point of view, it would be no harm to have it re-erected on protected ground.
Having mentioned the Zoological Gardens, I should say that I think they are very fine gardens, and we were all very distressed by the vandalism that took place when some of the birds there were killed a short while ago.