Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 119: To ask the Minister for Finance the role of the Chief Boundary Surveyor; the legislation prescribing his functions; his current level of remuneration; his output in the year 2009; the necessity for both his role and that of Ordnance Survey Ireland; his future plans for that office; and if the Chief Boundary Surveyor has completed the duties bestowed upon him by the Navan Town Boundary Alteration (Supplementary) Order 2009, SI 137 of 2009. [30333/10]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Chief Boundary Surveyor is a statutory officer appointed by the Minister for Finance pursuant to Section 1 of the, Boundary Survey (Ireland) Act, 1854. The office is combined with, though subsidiary to, that of Commissioner of Valuation. The level of remuneration paid to the occupier of the combined offices is equivalent to that of Assistant Secretary in the Civil Service. The Commissioner of Valuation /Chief Boundary Surveyor also performs the function of Chief Executive Officer of the Valuation Office.

The role of the Chief Boundary Surveyor is to fix maritime and internal boundaries for public purposes in accordance with the provisions of the Boundary Survey (Ireland) Acts, 1854, 1857 and 1859. In the case of maritime boundaries, he revises the land boundaries of counties and their constituent denominations, such as baronies, parishes and townlands, following the reclamation of land from the sea and in the case of internal boundaries, he revises land boundaries requiring to be surveyed and determined arising from changes to town, borough and city borough boundaries under Local Government legislation. During 2009, The Chief Boundary Surveyor was required to deal with two boundary changes relating to the towns of Balbriggan and Navan. On 1st May, 2009, he determined the new boundaries of Balbriggan Town in accordance with the terms of the Balbriggan Town Boundary Alteration (Supplementary) Order, 2009 and on 4th June, 2009, he determined the new boundaries of Navan Town in accordance with the provisions of the Navan Town Boundary Alteration (Supplementary) Order, 2009.

In his statutory role, under the Boundary Survey Acts, the Chief Boundary Surveyor receives the necessary technical support of Ordnance Survey Ireland in the performance of his duties in determining statutory boundaries and in the delineation of such boundaries on maps. As the State mapping agency, the primary function of Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSI), under its founding legislation - Ordnance Survey Ireland Act, 2001 – is to create and maintain the definitive national mapping and related geographic records of the State. It has also developed a commercial business which makes a significant contribution to the national geographic information industry. Its role does not include the defining of legal land and maritime boundaries, that being the statutory prerogative of the Chief Boundary Surveyor.

The Chief Boundary Surveyor fulfilled his obligations as required under section 13 of the Navan Town Boundary Alteration (Supplementary) Order, 2009 on 4th June, 2009 by preparing, signing and sealing four copies of the map attached to the Order, showing the relevant areas and the altered boundary of Navan Town. The copies of the official map were then deposited with the offices of the Town Council of Navan, the offices of the County Council of Meath and the office of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.