ERNE DRAINAGE AND DEVELOPMENT ACT, 1950

Type Act
Publication 1950-06-13
Last updated 2011-09-27
State In force superseded text
Text As published
articles 14

This is the act as published. Later amendments are not folded into the text below: each one is a separate act in this repository and an entry in this law's history.

5 amending acts · 2011-09-27, S.I. No. 477/2011 - European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011

Reform history JSON API

AN ACT TO AUTHORISE THE MAKING OF AND THE GIVING OF EFFECT TO CERTAIN AGREEMENTS WITH RESPECT TO A SCHEME FOR THE DRAINAGE OF LANDS AROUND UPPER AND LOWER LOUGH ERNE AND THE RIVER ERNE AND FOR THE DEVELOPMENT FOR THE PURPOSE OF GENERATING ELECTRICITY OF WATER POWER DERIVED THEREFROM, TO PROVIDE FOR THE DISSOLUTION OF THE LOUGH AND RIVER ERNE DRAINAGE AND NAVIGATION BOARD AND TO PROVIDE FOR OTHER MATTERS CONNECTED WITH THE MATTERS AFORESAID. [13th June, 1950.]

BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:—

1 Interpretation.

1.—In this Act—

the expression “the Board” means the Electricity Supply Board;

the expression “the draft agreement” means the draft agreement set out in the Schedule to this Act;

the expression “the Drainage Board” means the Lough and River Erne Drainage and Navigation Board;

the expression “the Loughs” means both Upper and Lower Lough Erne;

the expression “the Minister” means the Minister for Industry and Commerce;

the expression “the Ministry” means the Ministry of Finance for Northern Ireland;

the expression “the principal agreement” has the meaning assigned to it in subsection (2) of section 2 of this Act.

2 Power to enter into agreement in terms of scheduled draft.

2.—(1) The Board are hereby authorised and empowered to enter into an agreement with the Ministry in the terms of the draft agreement.

3 Power to enter into supplemental agreements.

3.—(1) Subject to subsection (2) of this section, the Board may, at any time after the making of the principal agreement, enter into further agreements with the Ministry for supplementing or modifying the principal agreement.

4 Power to carry out principal agreement.

4.—For the purposes of carrying the principal agreement into effect, the Board shall have and may exercise all such powers as may be necessary for or incidental to the due performance of their obligations under the principal agreement.

5 Defrayment of expenses incurred by the Board.

5.—All expenses incurred by the Board in discharging any liability arising out of the principal agreement shall be defrayed as part of their general expenses.

6 Dissolution of the Drainage Board.

6.—As from such day as the Minister shall by order appoint, the Drainage Board shall, by virtue of this section, be dissolved.

7 Disposal of property of Drainage Board.

7.—(1) Subject to the provisions of section 9 of this Act, all property which immediately before the dissolution of the Drainage Board was the property of the Drainage Board shall, by virtue of this section and without the necessity of any conveyance, assignment, deed of transfer or other instrument, vest in the persons acting as the Finance Solicitor and the Solicitor to the Ministry and their respective successors in office as trustees (in this section referred to as the Trustees) upon trust to sell at the discretion of the Trustees such property and to apply the rents and profits (if any) arising therefrom prior to sale and the proceeds of sale, so far as the same shall extend, in discharging first any liability incurred in connection with such sale and secondly any outstanding liability of the Drainage Board, and in paying any balance remaining after the discharge of those liabilities to the Ministry.

8 Arrangements in respect of other matters arising out of the dissolution of the Drainage Board.

8.—The Minister may make and carry out such administrative arrangements as he thinks proper for the purposes of providing for matters arising out of the dissolution of the Drainage Board and, in particular, may make and carry out arrangements for the temporary operation of the existing sluice gates at Belleek in such manner as may be specified in the arrangements for the purposes of controlling the water levels of the Loughs pending and until such time as the Board have agreed with the Ministry pursuant to the provisions of the principal agreement that the said water levels can and should be controlled in accordance with those provisions.

9 Award of 1891.

9.—As from the date of the dissolution of the Drainage Board, the Award of the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland dated the 4th day of April, 1891, for the Lough and River Erne Drainage and Navigation District shall cease to have any force and effect and the liability of proprietors of land in the Counties of Cavan and Monaghan to pay rates or rent charges in respect of the said Drainage District (including any outstanding arrears of such rates or rent charges) shall cease.

10 Disputes between the Board and the Ministry.

10.—(1) An Arbitration Tribunal constituted in accordance with the provisions of the principal agreement shall have power to determine in accordance with those provisions any dispute or difference between the Board and the Ministry arising out of the principal agreement.

11 Belleek bridge.

11.—(1) In this section, the expression “the Belleek bridge” means the bridge referred to in paragraph 2 of the First Schedule to the draft agreement.

12 Exemption of agreements from stamp duty.

12.—Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any of the enactments relating to stamp duty, stamp duty shall not be chargeable in respect of any agreement entered into pursuant to this Act by the Board with the Ministry.

13 Repeal.

13.—(1) The Drainage and Improvement of Lands Supple mental Act (Ireland), 1880, is hereby repealed.

14 Short title.

14.—This Act may be cited as the Erne Drainage and Development Act, 1950.

SCHEDULE. Draft Agreement.

AGREEMENT made the day of 19 between THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE FOR NORTHERN IRELAND of Stormont in the County of Down (hereinafter called “the Ministry”) of the one part, and THE ELECTRICITY SUPPLY BOARD having its principal office at 27 Lower Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin (hereinafter called “the Board”) of the other part.

WHEREAS:—

NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY AGREED by and between the Ministry and the Board as follows:—

Definitions.

I. IN this Agreement, except where the contrary intention appears, the following abbreviations and expressions have the meaning hereby assigned to them, that is to say:—

“O.D.” means Ordnance Datum;

“scheduled works” means the works specified in the First Schedule;

“property” includes any estate or interest in land (including land covered by water), buildings of any kind, and any easement or right in, to or over land or water, or land covered by water;

“public authority” means any local or other public authority deriving its powers, functions or duties from any enactment (whether public, general, local or private), charter or from any order or regulation having effect under or by virtue of any enactment;

“Upper Lough” means Upper Lough Erne;

“Lower Lough” means Lower Lough Erne;

“The Loughs” means Upper Lough Erne and Lower Lough Erne;

“inter-Lough channel” means the channel or channels leading from the Upper Lough to the Lower Lough and passing through Enniskillen;

“Enniskillen Sluices” means the barrage and sluices to be constructed near Enniskillen as part of the scheduled works;

“dam at Cliff” means the dam constructed by the Board at Cliff in the Townlands of Corlea and Clohore in the County of Donegal as part of the Board's full development scheme;

“outfall channel” means the channel, when deepened and improved, of the River Erne from the Lower Lough to the dam at Cliff;

“the water level of the Upper Lough” means the water level of the Upper Lough as recorded and measured at any time on the apparatus to be installed in the Townland of Belleisle in the County of Fermanagh under the provisions of paragraph IV hereof;

“the water level of the Lower Lough” means the water level of the Lower Lough as recorded and measured at any time on the apparatus to be installed in the Townland of Rosscor (or thereabouts) in the County of Fermanagh under the provisions of paragraph IV hereof;

“the water level at Cliff” means the water level immediately up-stream of the dam at Cliff;

“Ministry's Engineer” means the person for the time being nominated by the Ministry to act as its engineer for the purposes of this Agreement;

“Board's Engineer” means the person for the time being nominated by the Board to act as its engineer for the purposes of this Agreement.

Works in Co. Fermanagh.

II. (1) As soon as practicable after the execution of this Agreement by both parties hereto the Ministry shall carry out to the satisfaction of the Board so much of the scheduled works as are situate wholly within the County of Fermanagh.

Works partly in Co. Donegal and partly in Co. Fermanagh.

Preliminary surveys, etc., and Contract documents.

Duties to be performed by Ministry.

III. THE MINISTRY shall also perform, execute and do or procure to be performed, executed or done the following duties, matters and things, that is to say:—

Acquisition of land, etc.

Claims for damage or interference.

as a consequence or by reason of—

PROVIDED that—

PROVIDED that where the doing of any act which the Ministry is bound to do by virtue of the foregoing provisions of this paragraph is in the opinion of the Ministry a matter of major importance or involves a major question of principle the Ministry shall first submit proposals in respect thereof to the Board for approval.

Recording apparatus in Co. Fermanagh.

IV. THE BOARD shall provide and the Ministry shall erect and maintain at the Board's expense apparatus of a type to be approved by the Ministry for the recording and measuring of the water levels at each of the following places, namely: one in the Townland of Belleisle aforesaid on the Upper Lough, one immediately upstream of the Enniskillen sluices, and one in the Townland of Rosscor aforesaid or thereabouts in the County of Fermanagh on the Lower Lough.

The apparatus at the foregoing three places in so far as competent manufacturers of the said apparatus can provide, shall be constructed so as to transmit to and record at the dam at Cliff the water levels recorded at those places respectively, and the apparatus at Belleisle shall be constructed so as to transmit to and record at the Enniskillen sluices the water level recorded at Belleisle.

Recording apparatus in Co. Donegal.

V. THE BOARD shall provide, erect and maintain apparatus for the recording and measuring of the water level immediately upstream of the dam at Cliff.

Removal of sluices at Belleek.

VI. AS soon as the Enniskillen Sluices (specified and numbered 3 in the First Schedule hereto) are completed and the Ministry and the Board agree that, subject only to the removal of the existing barrage and sluices at Belleek (specified and numbered 4 in the First Schedule hereto) the water level of the Lower Lough can and should be controlled and regulated within the limits prescribed by sub-paragraph (1) of paragraph VII hereof, the work of removing the said barrage and sluices at Belleek shall be undertaken.

Control and regulation of water levels.

VII. UPON such removal of the barrage and sluices at Belleek the discharge of water from the Lower Lough through the outfall channel, and the respective water levels of the Loughs shall be controlled and regulated in accordance with the provisions following, that is to say:—

Check of discharge capacities of outfall and inter-lough channels.

VIII. THE BOARD and the Ministry shall from time to time jointly or separately as shall be agreed, compute and check accurately the capacities of the outfall channel, and of the inter-Lough channel, for the discharge of water, and upon such computation or check being made by either party, the figures, information or data taken or compiled shall forthwith be furnished by that party to the other, together with the conclusions deduced therefrom.

Exchange of records of water levels.

IX. (1) The Board shall also at its own expense and to the satisfaction of the Ministry furnish to the Ministry each day or at such periods as may be agreed upon a certified copy of the water levels as recorded and measured by the apparatus to be provided at the dam at Cliff under paragraph V hereof and also such further information and data from the operation of the sluices or other machinery incorporated in the dam at Cliff as shall enable the daily discharge through the outfall channel to be accurately computed, and the Ministry shall, if it so desires, be entitled at all reasonable times, but at its own expense, to check the accuracy of the said apparatus and the methods of recording and measuring thereby and to have the said apparatus calibrated.

Control and maintenance of completed works.

X. (1) Save as provided by sub-paragraph (2) of this paragraph with respect to the new road bridge over the River Erne at Belleek the Ministry shall from and after the completion of any of the scheduled works in Northern Ireland retain and exercise control thereof subject to the provisions of this Agreement and of any supplemental Agreement and shall maintain and keep such works in reasonably good and sufficient order, repair and condition PROVIDED that where the Ministry is satisfied that adequate provision can and will be made for the future maintenance and repair of the said works or any part thereof, the same may be handed over in whole or in part to any public authority or Government Department, upon such terms and conditions as may after consultation with the Board be agreed between that authority or Department and the Ministry.

Indemnity by Board to Ministry.

XI. SUBJECT to the terms of the proviso set out in paragraph XII hereof, the Board shall keep the Ministry and its officers, servants or agents indemnified and saved harmless from and against all actions, proceedings, costs, claims, and demands or damages, expenses or liabilities whatsoever, for which the Ministry or its officers, servants or agents shall incur liability or be called upon to pay by reason or on account of the scheduled works, or otherwise howsoever arising from or in connection with the carrying out of the provisions of this Agreement, or the performance of the obligations of the Ministry thereunder.

Payment by Board to Ministry.

XII SUBJECT as otherwise in this Agreement provided the Board shall, in the manner provided by paragraph XIII hereof, pay to the Ministry the amount of all expenditure incurred by the Ministry in respect of, or in connection with, all or any of the matters following together with interest on any amounts advanced by the Ministry for the purpose of meeting any such expenditure (such interest being calculated at the rate in force in Northern Ireland for short term Local Loans at the date of the advance) that is to say:—

PROVIDED HOWEVER that the Board shall not be called upon to pay, or be responsible for, any expenditure or items of expenditure in respect of any of the foregoing matters which may arise from or be caused by the neglect or default of the Ministry, its officers or servants or of any agents for whose acts the Ministry is in law responsible.

Method of payment.

XIII PAYMENTS to be made by the Board to the Ministry under this Agreement shall at the option of the Ministry be made at any time or from time to time in any of the following ways, that is to say:—

Interference with public services.

XIV. WHERE the scheduled works or anything done pursuant to this Agreement, necessitate interference with, or the alteration, or reconstruction of any public road, bridge, water supply or sewerage system, or other public service, the Ministry and the Board, after consultation with their appropriate and respective Government Departments concerned with such services, shall determine what provision for such interference, alteration or reconstruction should be made in respect of such matters in the County of Fermanagh or the County of Donegal respectively, and should any extra expenditure be incurred by reason of any addition to such provision which may be made pursuant to a request or requirement of any public authority, shall as far as possible ensure that such extra expenditure is borne by the public authority at whose request or upon whose requirement the same was incurred.

Surplus or deficit of Drainage Board monies.

XV. Should any sum remain of the balance received by the Ministry from the Trustees appointed to wind up the affairs of the Lough and River Erne Drainage and Navigation Board (hereinafter referred to as the “Drainage Board”) after payment of compensation to former employees of the Drainage Board in accordance with the statutory provisions in that behalf the Ministry shall pay one-eighth part thereof to the Board and should the said balance have been insufficient to enable the said compensation to be paid therefrom the Board shall pay to the Ministry one-eighth part of any amount provided by the Ministry to enable the said compensation to be paid.

Notices, etc.

XVI. WHERE any provision of this Agreement prescribes the approval, consent or agreement, by either party to the doing, or omission, of any act or thing, by the other party, or the service of any notice by either party, such approval, consent, agreement or notice shall be such as shall be expressed under the hand of the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Ministry, or the Secrètary or an Assistant Secretary of the Board, as the case may be, and any notice shall be transmitted by registered post.

Arbitration.

XVII. IF any dispute or difference should at any time hereafter arise between the Ministry and the Board touching this Agreement or arising out of or in relation to any of the provisions thereof, or the doing, or the neglect or refusal to do, any work, duty, matter or thing under this Agreement, or the making of, or the refusal to make, any payment hereunder, such dispute or difference shall, in accordance with provisions in that behalf contained in the Second Schedule hereto, be referred to and heard and determined by a Tribunal (hereinafter referred to as an “Arbitration Tribunal”) constituted in accordance with the provisions of the said Second Schedule, and the decision of an Arbitration Tribunal thereon shall in all respects be final and binding on the parties hereto and the amount of any sum (including any sum in respect of costs) awarded by an Arbitration Tribunal to one party together with interest thereon at the rate of four pounds per centum per annum calculated from the date of the award shall be payable to it by the other as a civil debt due to it by that other and shall be recoverable accordingly and each party hereby covenants that it will in all respects well and faithfully abide by and give effect to the terms of any award made by an Arbitration Tribunal.

Works to be Carried Out.

1.

Deepening the bed, and where required, removal and re-alignment of the banks of the River Erne between Rosscor and Belleek to such effect that the improved channel shall have a capacity of not less than 660,000 cubic feet per minute with the water level of the Lower Lough at 152.0 feet above O.D., and the water level at the dam at Cliff at 143.0 feet above O.D.—the work to extend from the Lower Lough to 500 feet or thereabouts in a north-westerly direction from the centre of the road bridge over the River Erne at the Town of Belleek; disposal of material excavated from the bed and banks of the River Erne and the underpinning of Rosscor Bridge.

2.

Construction of a new road bridge and approaches over the River Erne at Belleek to replace the existing bridge, and the removal of the existing bridge and such portion of the existing approaches as may be agreed between the Ministry and the Board.

3.

Construction of a barrage and sluices near Enniskillen with a crest level when closed of 150.0 feet above O.D., and a sill level of 136.0 feet above O.D., and a total clear water width of 172.0 feet, capable of passing a discharge of 660,000 cubic feet per minute with the Lower Lough at 152.0 feet above O.D. and a loss of head through the sluices not exceeding four inches with all gates lifted clear of the water, or such works of a like nature capable of passing the discharge aforesaid as may be agreed between the Ministry and the Board, and all or any of the foregoing works shall include such provision as may be necessary for navigation, the passage of fish and the future control and maintenance of such works.

4.

Removal of the existing barrage and sluices across the River Erne at Belleek, their operating mechanism, and any incidental works.

5.

Any works necessary, incidental or ancillary to any of the foregoing works.

Provisions as to Arbitration.

1.

(i) An Arbitration Tribunal shall consist of a single Arbitrator assisted by two Assessors.

2.

Upon any dispute or difference arising, either of the parties may serve upon the other a Notice of Dispute specifying the matter or matters as to which such dispute or difference shall have arisen, and the reasons or grounds therefor.

3.

Within twenty-eight days after the service of such Notice each party shall appoint its Assessor (who shall have expressed his willingness to act as such), and shall notify the other party of such appointment, and of the name, address and qualifications of the person appointed.

4.

If either party makes default in appointing an Assessor within the period aforesaid then an Assessor to act in his stead shall be appointed by the Arbitrator who shall notify each party of the appointment and of the name, address and qualifications of the person appointed.

5.

Within twenty-eight days after the service of the Notice of Dispute or within such extended time as may be agreed by the other party the party serving such Notice shall prepare and submit to the other party for approval a draft submission to Arbitration which shall state clearly the matter or matters in dispute, the facts relating thereto, and the questions at issue for the decision of an Arbitration Tribunal. When the form of the submission to Arbitration has been agreed by both parties the same shall be executed by both parties in triplicate and an executed part thereof sent to the Arbitrator and to each of the Assessors by the party who served the Notice of Dispute. In default of agreement as to the form of submission, the party serving the Notice of Dispute may execute the submission in such form as it thinks fit and send three executed parts thereof to the Arbitrator and a fourth executed part thereof to the other party and within fourteen days of the other party's receiving the same or within such extended time as may be agreed the other party may prepare and execute a formal statement of its objections to such submission and send three executed parts thereof to the Arbitrator and a fourth to the other party.

6.

Within twenty-eight days after the receipt by the Arbitration Tribunal of the submission to Arbitration the Arbitrator shall notify the Ministry and the Board of the venue and date where and upon which the Arbitration Tribunal shall sit for the purpose of hearing the matter or matters in dispute and such venue and date shall be fixed to suit, as far as possible, the convenience of the Arbitration Tribunal and the parties hereto.

7.

The parties hereto will do all acts and things and take all steps, including, subject to any legal objection, the production of all evidence whether in the nature of books, records, accounts, documents or otherwise, relevant to the matters in dispute or the questions at issue, necessary to enable an Arbitration Tribunal to hear and determine those matters and questions and to make an award, or which may be required or called for by either party or an Arbitration Tribunal, and neither of the said parties will wilfully or wrongfully do, or cause to be done, any act or thing or neglect to do any act or thing or take any step which shall or may delay or prevent an Arbitration Tribunal from hearing and determining the said matters or questions, or from making an award.

8.

In order to facilitate a hearing before an Arbitration Tribunal each party shall be at liberty to serve on the other party a Notice or Notices to admit facts and upon the admission of any such fact or facts by the other party then, subject to the direction or requirement of the Arbitration Tribunal, formal proof of those facts may be dispensed with.

9.

If either party shall refuse or fail after reasonable notice to attend either personally or by Counsel or by Solicitor before an Arbitration Tribunal at any meeting which the Tribunal may appoint, the Tribunal may proceed as effectually as if such party were present.

10.

Subject as hereinbefore provided an Arbitration Tribunal may make its own rules of procedure so, however, that neither party shall be prejudiced by any rule of procedure not made available to it in time to enable it to comply therewith.

11.

An Arbitration Tribunal shall make and publish its award within two months after the termination of the hearing, or within such extended time as the Arbitration Tribunal shall, before the expiration of such period of two months, determine in writing signed by the Arbitrator. The award shall be in writing, and in duplicate, signed by the Arbitrator and a duplicate part thereof shall forthwith be transmitted to each party hereto.

12.

An Arbitration Tribunal shall have power to award, to or against either or both parties hereto, costs and expenses incurred in connection with an Arbitration, or any part or issue thereof, including the procedure leading up to an Arbitration, to fix the amount of such costs and expenses, or to direct how the same are to be ascertained.

IN WITNESS whereof the Official Seal of the Ministry of Finance for Northern Ireland and the Common Seal of the Electricity Supply Board have been hereunto affixed the day and year first herein written:

[image omitted]

This document does not substitute the official text published in the Irish Statute Book. We accept no responsibility for any inaccuracies arising from the transcription of the original into this format.

This text is published under Irish Statute Book's own terms of reuse, not a Legalize or public-domain licence. Irish Statute Book
CC-BY 4.0 (Oireachtas Open Data PSI Licence)
Contains Irish Public Sector Information licensed under the Oireachtas (Houses of the Oireachtas) Open Data PSI Licence / Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, sourced from https://www.irishstatutebook.ie.