Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Dr. Beamish for his presentation. The scale of the damage done up to last Friday was mentioned in the presentation but, given what happened yesterday and what may happen later this week, we will have to re-evaluate the whole situation because many areas took an awful pounding yesterday, particularly in the south and south west.

The work that is to be carried out on piers and slipways that are owned by the local authorities is totally dependent on funding coming from the Government. Like Deputy Ó Cuív, I welcome the €8.8 million extra that has been allocated but given the extent of the damage that has been done, I do not believe it will go next or near to addressing the problem. Dr. Beamish mentioned that up to last Friday, some 100 piers were affected. How many of those piers are owned and regulated by the local authorities and what percentage are in public ownership but not under the auspices of the local authorities?

Many marinas have been damaged. Does the funding also include them? A huge aspect is the rock armour protecting piers and slipways and which also forms part of the breakwaters which give access to people coming into small piers. Great damage has been done to this, given the huge swell as well as the storms. Again, is that rock armour also included in what Dr Beamish has discussed? Dr. Beamish said there had traditionally been an upper limit of €150,000 per project and that this cap has been removed. Is there a new upper limit above that?

I believe it will be almost impossible to get adequate funding to meet the demands out there, given what the OPW and the local authorities will be looking for as well. Will there be an acceptance of local community support? With regard to the question of sand dunes and so forth, which is not the responsibility of the of the Department but of the OPW, there will be a need for community support in trying to repair the enormous damage that has been done. I am speaking in particular of areas like Fenit, Rossbeigh, Banna, Ballyheigue and so forth.

In addition, an issue that is not yet apparent, but which will become apparent when the work begins, is the amount of structural damage that has been done under the water line. This will require a survey of piers and slipways, because the slipways in particular have been hugely damaged underneath the water line. All of this will have to be assessed and factored in if piers and slipways are to be repaired to their original standard.

The local authorities have to come up with 10% of the funding themselves and I do not know where they are going to get it because they are absolutely strapped for cash. They can hardly meet the demands that exist let alone meet an additional demand for 10% co-funding.