Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for taking this debate. He referred to flooding. There has been a lot of talk over the years that climate change is the cause of rivers flooding and that it will create more havoc. I do not agree. Our rivers are flooding because they are not being cleared. As the Minister knows, farmers cannot clear rivers due to the fact they will lose their farm payments because of cross-compliance. The River Flesk is one such example in Kerry. I am very grateful to the Minister of State, Kevin Boxer Moran, who came when I asked him to visit Glenflesk and Castleisland. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked him to visit other places and he met us. As a result, we got money to clear part of the Flesk. Until then, houses were being flooded. The N22, a national primary road, was flooded several times in 2015 and 2016. Since the river was cleared last year and despite there being several floods, no roads or houses were flooded.

Consultants said that clearing the river would only make a difference of a few millimetres. The fact is that the river was lowered by metres. The road is not in jeopardy and the emergency services can go back and forth to hospitals in Cork and Tralee. The national primary route into Kerry is no longer flooded. I have to thank the Minister of State for agreeing to and giving us the funding to clear the river. Following several years of deputations by me, Councillor Maura Healy-Rae and the residents of the entire Flesk area to Kerry County Council, that was the result. The remainder of the Flesk needs to be cleared. The Laune between Killarney to Killorglin badly needs to be cleared. The Lake Hotel was flooded and the owner had to pay millions to repair it. I ask the Minister not to allow that to happen again. The main river in Castleisland was cleared out 60 years ago and it was grand until a few years ago. It needs to be cleared again. However, CFRAM has suggested spending millions on building a flood plain near the town to hold water. The Brogeen, Glashoreag, Gweestin and other rivers need to be cleared.

When we are talking about rivers, we must talk about pollution. There is a lot of talk about the environment. People think that I do not appreciate the environment; I certainly do.

I do not subscribe to this thing of climate change, but I sincerely ask this. There is no mention that I can see in the programme for Government of sewage treatment plants that need to be built where there are none in places like Kilcummin, Currow and Scartaglen. Places like Castleisland have been waiting for 40 years for an extension to the treatment plant and we are talking about pollution there during wet weather. They have to clean out the septic tanks fortnightly or monthly when there is wet weather in Castleisland. That has been going on for 40 years.

Tobin Consulting has done CFRAM reports in places like Glenflesk and applicants are being denied planning permission. It is unfair because they are citing that a particular field could be flooded in 100 years or 1,000 years. The people who want to build houses for themselves will be long gone before ever a flood will come again, but if the river is kept cleared it will not flood. That is what I want to drive home to the Minister.

I am very disappointed with the programme for Government - the Green Party's programme for Government. Planning permission for people in rural areas is to be denied except in towns or villages where there is public transport. We do not have public transport like people in cities have. The quadrupling of the carbon tax to €100 per tonne will have a massive adverse effect on people in rural areas who do not have the same options for transport or heating as those in urban areas.

We are hearing a lot about offshore renewable energy. Why does the Government not just start with the easy things such as solar panels? Many farmers in Kerry have been granted planning permission for solar panels, but there is no scheme to pay them for their electricity at present. They have been waiting for three or four years for some planning guidelines to come that are being promised day after day but have not come. They are also waiting for the scheme to pay them for the energy that they would supply.

There is a lot of talk about carbon and the people are scared of their lives about what will happen to them in the next number of years if this Government goes ahead. They are absolutely terrified. People need their cars and they need surety. They need something that is affordable and reliable. When we reach such time as the electric cars prove themselves, then people will buy them and will give them a fair chance. However, it is wrong to be forcing people down the road that they cannot drive anything except electric cars. That is the wrong way to go about it.

They are talking about heating and stopping people from cutting turf. We cut turf every year and it is not an easy job. People have to cut it, turn it, foot it, stook it, bring it home, bring it into the fire and then take out the ashes. Many people are proud to do that, and they cannot afford anything else. While they are able to do it, they will do it. One elderly man said to me the other day, "I suppose I won't be able to do it for much longer. I'll have to get oil or something else." They are proud to do that and that is all they can afford. It is wrong to stop people from doing such things. Maybe the next generation or the generation after will not look at a bog or go there. Maybe there will be different ways at that time. It is wrong to be forcing things on people and it is wrong the way this Green programme for Government is being put out there. People are terrified of it.

Deputy Donohoe is a Minister in the present Government, and it is prophesied that he will be a Minister in the next Government as well. It came out this morning that publicans can only allow a person to stay in a pub for 90 minutes. How can publicans be reasonably asked to monitor that? A fellow comes in for a pint or whatever and maybe he goes out smoking or something and there are a few around. It is not possible for someone inside in the bar to keep tabs on every fellow. After 29 June he is supposed to ask for a meal, but he will come in and sit down and the publican will show him the menu. He may say that someone else is supposed to come and join him. While he is waiting, he will have the pint and maybe have a second pint drunk before the second person comes. How are publicans and restaurants supposed to manage that?

I do not have enough time, but people out there are very suspicious that there is no costing for the programme for Government. The Minister has been dealing with finance for the past four years. He cannot sell something to the people without giving the figures and facts showing where the money will come from.

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