§ Mr. CLANCYasked what amounts have been allocated up to date by the Development Fund Commissioners towards the improvement of harbours in England, Scotland, and Ireland respectively?
§ Mr. MASTERMANsupplied the following particulars:—
England.—Only two applications have been received by the Development Commissioners for the improvement of harbours in England and Wales. One of these applications has been refused, as stated in the Commissioners' First Annual Report. They have decided in principle to recommend an advance in respect of the other application, but the details are still under discussion.
Scotland.—In repect of Scotch harbours (including Berwick), they have recommended advances by way of grant and loan amounting altogether to £104,350.
Ireland.—In Ireland, advances amounting in the aggregate to £39,000 have been recommended by the Commissioners for the development of harbours in addition to £6,750 for general dredging operations; and they are now considering an application from the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for an advance 153W of a further sum of £4,500 for the improvement of an additional harbour. They are also in correspondence with the Congested Districts Board with regard to advances for the improvement of harbours in the congested districts.
§ Mr. CLANCYasked whether the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction (Ireland) recommended that a sum of money out of the Development Fund should be spent on the improvement of the harbour of Skerries, county of Dublin; whether the recommendation, though made in response to an invitation from the Development Fund Commissioners, was disregarded by the Commissioners; and whether any reasons were given by the Commissioners for their decision and, if so, what were the reasons?
§ Mr. MASTERMANAfter preliminary discussion, the Commissioners invited the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland to submit for their consideration a scheme of fishery development based on a contemplated advance of £50,000. The scheme first submitted by the Department in accordance with this request included a proposal to devote £11,000 from the Development Fund to Skerries Harbour. The Commissioners declined to entertain this proposal on the grounds that the expenditure proposed was disproportionate, as there are no resident fishermen at Skerries, the value of the fish landed there is only about £500 per annum, and Howth is within easy reach.