§ 25. Mr. STEPHENasked the Secretary for Scotland if he is aware that the principal water reservoir on the Eglinton estate, Skelmorlie, burst on 18th April; that, as a result, five persons were drowned; and that the estate has been in receipt of an annual income of £600 in water rates from feuars on the estate for the maintenance of the reservoir and water supply; and whether steps have been taken to repair the reservoir so as to secure an adequate water supply for the people of the district?
§ The SECRETARY for SCOTLAND (Sir John Gilmour)The answer to the first and second parts of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the third part, I have no knowledge, since the water supply in question is purely a private one. In connection with the last 1280 part of the question, I may say that remedial steps were immediately taken, and completed four days after the accident, with the result that a temporary water supply has been available since that time. As to the question of the permanent supply, I am informed that the local authority are pressing the proprietors to execute the necessary repairs, and that the proprietors are obtaining a report from an engineer on the subject.