Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The twin villages of Inchigeelagh and Ballingeary on the upper Lee stretch had a recurring problem with flooding for several years. Nearly every winter they might be under two or three feet of water. A couple of years ago, the then Minister of State, Brian Hayes, approved minor flood relief works funding for the local authority in respect of the two villages. There was resistance in the context of the CFRAM, which did not wish to facilitate anything. The Minister of State stuck his neck out and provided for some minor works. It involved minor river cleaning along the banks of the river and there has not been a problem in those villages - one cannot say there will not be - in the years since those works were carried out. It is vital that we do not put all our eggs in one basket. There are minor relief works that can be very effective and cost relatively small amounts. I believe it did not cost more than €30,000 in respect of both villages. A house or business that is destroyed costs multiples of that amount, and there were several of them under feet of water in those villages. What is the position with minor works funding on an annual basis and ensuring these small sums of money, which can have a significant dividend, are still available to deal with localised flooding problems outside the CFRAM framework?