§ MR. SEXTONasked the Secretary to the Treasury, If it is the fact that the new pier at Pullendiva, county Sligo, and constructed two or three years since, at a cost of over £5,000, is entirely useless to the fishermen of the district, as their boats cannot enter into it at low water, the harbour being dry, with a rocky bottom, and the boats, whenever they enter, cannot remain there without sustaining damage; whether a portion of the cost was contributed by the locality, expressly on condition that the harbour would be made available for fishing smacks at all times of tide; whether the design for the pier was made by the engineer of the Board of Works, and whether he has made any fresh design for any further works to render the pier available for its purpose; whether the Fishery Commissioners have offered any opinion as to the need of further works in connection with the pier; and, how soon the Board of Works may be expected to execute such works as are requisite to make the pier a useful structure?
§ MR. COURTNEYI do not know on what grounds the hon. Member says that a tidal harbour is useless, such harbours being not uncommon throughout the Three Kingdoms. The Pullendiva Pier is only dry at very low spring 908 tides, and could not have been carried out to deep water without a very large expenditure. There is no evidence that any condition was attached to the small local contribution received. The Fishery Commissioners have suggested an extension, and a design for it was sent them on July 22, since which date nothing has been heard from them on the subject. The Board of Works will put the works in hand as soon as the Commissioners communicate their decision.