§ MR. KAVANAGHasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland, Whether he can give the House any information as to the condition and progress of the works for repairing a breach in the sea pavement of the pier of Dunmore Harbour, County Waterford, for which a sum of public money was granted about seven years ago; and, whether, if such does not appear to be satisfactory, he will take steps to have the necessary repairs carried out to ensure the preservation of a structure which was of incalculable value not only to the inhabitants of the district, but to a large number of fishermen who resort there in the season?
§ SIR MICHAEL HICKS-BEACHThe repair of piers in no way concerns the Irish Government—it belongs to the Board of Works, which is a Department under the control of the Treasury the Question, therefore, should be addressed to and answered by the Secretary to the Treasury In the Session of 1868–9 a sum of £964 was voted for the repair of considerable damage which had been done to the works of Dunmore Harbour by the unusually severe storms of the preceding winters. That sum was found insufficient for the complete repair of the injury done to the sea pavement, and further sums have since been voted to make good the damage done by storms during the progress of the works of repair. 482 The works of the harbour are now in a satisfactory state, and the cost of making good the slight damage which the storms of the past winter have done has been provided for in the Estimates for the coming year, and the remaining repairs will be completed this summer. In 1872, a sum of £1,500 was voted for dredging out the harbour, which had silted up so as to leave a depth of only 5 feet to 7 feet of water at low water spring tides. This work has been carefully carried out and will be complete in two or three months, and there is now a depth of from 14 feet to 15 feet in the greater part of the harbour, and so far, therefore, the work is perfectly satisfactory.