Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I realise this work was being done against a background that was unprecedented. In the seven years from December 2006 to December 2015, there were nine major weather events that affected more than ten counties in the western, midlands and Shannon regions. The Comptroller and Auditor General referred already to Storm Desmond in this regard. Another of these events involved an exceptional series of storms. The Red Cross listed another of the weather events in question, by which Cork was affected, in its world disasters report. This is the background in respect of people whose livelihoods, businesses and houses have been affected.

While I have the greatest of respect for the work of the Office of Public Works, I wish to put a number of questions on overruns, time overruns, lack of accountability and boards not sitting. Arising from Government policy, the OPW decided to conduct a number of pilot projects, of which there were nine to begin with. Will Ms McGrath tell me why only four of these projects went ahead in the first instance? What were the criteria used in respect of these projects and why did all nine not proceed?