§ Major GLYNasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport what jurisdiction, if any, has his Department over the railways of Ireland; whether he has any information as to the present condition of those railways; and what is the estimated value of those systems to-day compared with that of 1918?
§ Mr. NEALBy virtue of the Provisional Government (Transfer of Functions) Order, 1922, made under the Irish Free State (Agreement) Act, 1922, the functions of the Minister of Transport in connection with the administration of railways in Southern Ireland were transferred to, and became exercisable by, the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Provisional Government as from 1st April last. The Minister of Transport therefore no longer exercises such functions in Southern Ireland, but no transfer of his functions in relation to railways in Northern Ireland has yet been made in view of the provisions of the Government of Ireland Act, 1920, and the Provisional Government (Council of Ireland) Order, 1922, and the fact that the appointed day with respect to the powers of the Council of Ireland has not yet been fixed. In reply to the second part of the question, I am not quite sure what kind of information the hon. and gallant Member has in mind, but I am not in possession of any detailed survey of the present condition of railways in Ireland. In reply to the third part of the question, it is not possible, nor should I think it right, for me to express an opinion as to the value of Irish railway systems.