§ Miss LAWRENCEasked the Minister of Health the conditions under which grants are to be made to local authorities for land drainage work?
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Mr. GUINNESSThe main conditions on which grants will be made from the Ministry's funds towards schemes of land drainage are as follow:
1. Schemes may be submitted by statutory drainage authorities (Commissions of sewers, drainage boards and other like bodies having statutory functions in relation to land drainage) and also by county councils who have similar statutory powers under general or local Acts.
2. Schemes must be designed to confer a benefit on agricultural land, and may include works of maintenance and also works which the authority may be under obligation to carry out, where the Ministry is satisfied that special circumstances exist which would justify a Government grant, and that the execution of the works would thereby be accelerated. Minor maintenance works, however, such as weed cutting, will not be eligible.
3. The main object of the grants is to facilitate the transfer of miners from certain depressed areas, and it is therefore not intended to make grants towards schemes in such areas.
4. Not less than 50 per cent. of all labour employed on the scheme must be obtained through the Employment Exchanges from certain depressed areas selected by the Ministry of Labour.
5. The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will require to be satisfied that suitable accommodation already exists for the men to be so transferred, or that such accommodation will be provided.
6. The grant will be 50 per cent. of the final net cost of this scheme. Advances will be made from time to time as required during the carrying out of the scheme, and the authority promoting the scheme will have to find their share of the cost concurrently with the Ministry's advances.
7. During the progress of the work it will be subject to inspection by and approval of the Ministry.
8. Where the authority proposes to raise its quota of the cost by means of a loan, the scheme, if approved by the Ministry, will be forwarded to the Unemployment Grants Committee, and any grant made will be made by that Committee and on the basis of the Committee's conditions applicable to such grants.