HC Deb 05 March 1908 vol 185 cc891-2
Mr. VINCENT KENNEDY

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord- Lieutenant of Ireland, if he will state whether any sum of money is chargeable to the Cavan County Council in respect of the property of the trustees of the Ballinamore and Ballyconnell Navigation District, and, if so, how much; when was this charge first incurred; is there any navigation in the districts named; how were the trustees called into existence, with the name of the present trustees; is there any staff employed by the trustees; and will the expenses of this derelict concern, and the whole matter generally, be considered, with a view to bringing it into conformity with the wishes and interests of the people concerned.

Mr. BIRRELL

I am informed by the Board of Works that the County Council of Cavan is liable, under the Final Award of 10th January, 1860, for the payment of the rate leviable by the Ballinamore and Ballyconnell Navigation Trustees in pursuance of that award. The liability of County Cavan is in the proportion fixed by the Final Award, namely, about one-third of the total amount leviable. The Board have no information as to when the first charge by the trustees was incurred, as the rate is leviable by the trustees without reference to the Board. The canal was constructed between 1846 and 1859 at a cost of £228,652, of which £30,000 has been repaid by the counties concerned, the remainder £198,652 being a free grant from the Public Exchequer. The navigation of the canal was abandoned in 1865. The trustees were created under Section 6 of the Drainage (Ireland) Act, 19 and 20 Vic, cap. 62. The Board of Works have no information as to the names of the present trustees, or as to whether any or what staff may be employed, but they understand that the secretary is Mr. James Netterfield, Hill View, Ballyconnell. The case of the canal and the question of its improvement for drainage or navigation purposes have been brought before the Royal Commission on Canals and Waterways, and any recommendation which the Commissioners may make regarding it will receive full consideration.