Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise the important issue of flooding and flood relief schemes. We have witnessed in recent months the damage and devastation that heavy rain can cause to people, property and the environment. When I was Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, we initiated a number of flood relief schemes, including in Cork city, Galway city, Ballinasloe, south Galway Gort lowlands, the Shannon Callows and Lough Funshinagh, which is held up with legislation so I do not know where it is. These projects are not moving at all. The reason they are not moving is they are tied up with environmental constraints and every kind of report. The south Galway Gort lowlands flood relief scheme was initiated back in 2016-17. We are coming into 2024 and it still has not reached a stage where it might come to construction. I do not blame the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, or any other Minister because I was in that Department. It is down to the legal framework by which we are trying to get these projects done.

Is it possible to redefine an "emergency" to include flooding and flood relief? It seems that what is happening is that if there is a flooding incident, the waters will subside and everything will go away. The officials will say that it is not deemed an emergency because the flooding does not remain. We must look at the devastation that is caused and at what happened in the Shannon Callows, with the complete extinction of biodiversity in that area as a result of continuous flooding with no relief for it. In south Galway, the lands keep flooding and then there is a huge flood, which means that properties are flooded and people are out of their houses and all of that kind of thing. We must look at what happened in Cork city and Midleton; these events will continue to happen. Can we redefine an "emergency" to include flooding and flood relief schemes as emergency measures so that work can be done more quickly and relief can be given to people who are living through a nightmare every winter? We will also start to restore the biodiversity that has been lost where we have flooding. It is so simple; we have brought in laws that contradict what we are trying to do. We are trying to save places from being flooded so that the biodiversity can remain in place. What we are doing is contradictory. I ask the Taoiseach to seriously consider that.

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