§ MR. J. P. FARRELL (Cavan, W.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, is he aware that owing to the deficient drainage of 64 Lough Erne great floods take place annually in the neighbourhood of Bally-connell, Belturbet, and Swanlinbar, and that in autumn especially the heavy rains of recent years have done immense damage to crops in low lying ground around these several towns; and could any more thorough and complete system of drainage be inaugurated that would prevent these disastrous floods, and so save large quantities of hay, oats and potatoes to the poor farmers of West Cavan?
§ MR. HANBURYThe Board of Works have no information as regards the flooding complained of. There are five drainage districts in which works have been carried out in the neighbourhood of the places mentioned, namely, Kinmeen, Drurncliff, Drumbominy, Ballinamore, and Ballyconnell, under the Act 5 and 6 Vic. cap. 85, and the Swanlimbar district under the Act 26 and 27 Vic. cap. 88. All of these discharge into Lough Erne. If the flooding complained of is due to inefficient maintenance of the districts, there is a remedy provided in the Drainage Maintenance Acts. If the question however refers to lands not included in any of the above districts, the only way to remove the complaint is for the persons concerned to form a Drainage District under the Arterial Drainage Acts.