Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

If I may, I will divide my questioning between estate management and flooding. I will start with estate management. I also join with the Chairman in welcoming the new Chairman of the OPW. I too worked in a previous guise with him through the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. I am delighted to see him appointed to this role.

It may not be possible for the Minister of State to answer my questions directly at this session. If he cannot, I would be grateful if somebody would revert to me. I want to raise sites like Barryscourt Castle, County Cork, Annes Grove Gardens in Castletownroche, County Cork, and Doneraile Court. They are three key reference sites that come under the ambit of the OPW's sphere of responsibility. I know that works are ongoing in Barryscourt Castle, for instance. The people who use these facilities are anxious to ensure there is continuing maintenance and development. I note the Minister of State's remarks with regard to Ireland's Ancient East and the reference to developing the heritage element of the OPW offerings. I ask the Minister to revert to me with regard to what the plans are for those three particular sites. The Annes Grove Gardens site, in particular, is a recent acquisition and a very valuable one in terms of its history and place in north Cork. I ask the Minister of State to ensure that the resources are deployed in such a way as to ensure its future development.

I note that there has been a 12.8% increase in revenue streams. I ask the Minister of State to delve further into how that 12.8% is arrived at in terms of attendance figures across the sites throughout the country. It is a cumulative increase. People like me, who represent the people of north and east Cork, would like to see how that translates to sites like Doneraile Court, Annes Grove Gardens and Barryscourt Castle, which is obviously closed at the moment. I would be very grateful if we could get some solid information from the Minister of State on the figures as they relate to those three reference sites. My next question is about the children's science centre. What is the actual state of progress on that? That is the first half of my intervention.

The second half of my intervention relates to Cork in particular and the proposed flood works. I note the Minister of State said that the deadline for submissions has moved out to a date in March. There have been some concerns raised, of which the Minister will be aware, regarding the aesthetics that this project will bring and how that will impact on the visual amenity that people enjoy on the River Lee. Historically, on schemes like the Munster Blackwater in Fermoy as well as in Mallow, similar concerns were raised by people living within those regions. I can understand the concerns of the people of Cork city. I ask the Minister of State to be mindful of those concerns. I understand a process is under way. I ask the Minister of State to keep in mind the aesthetic value of the River Lee and to be mindful of the need to ensure the visual amenity that is there. There are other concerns that will come into the public forum as time goes on.

The Minister of State mentioned small schemes. There is still a situation arising from Storm Frank in 2015 where works are ongoing on the N25 east of Castlemartyr. I travelled on that road the other day and work has been carried out opposite a particular property. I do not want to name the person in question but he and his family have been very much affected by Storm Frank. There are turloughs present in the area. There has been no communication between the OPW and this person. To be fair to the person in question, aesthetically, opposite his house looks a bit like a bomb site at the moment. I do not want to inflame the situation in any way. However, if the OPW or its agents could communicate more with the people affected in that particular region, I believe it would be a good day's work.

I also want to ask about the voluntary home relocation scheme. I would like to know what criteria apply. Do they include a person moving to an elevated site on their own property and building from scratch? Is that one of the areas that the Minister of State is examining? I would like to hear more about the modalities of the scheme, maybe not today, but perhaps at some future session. In fairness to the Minister of State with regard to his engagement on the insurance issue, he has been quite proactive to my mind. I had a meeting with the Minister of State prior to the Christmas recess. We are perhaps still sceptical about whether Insurance Ireland will actually take on board the CFRAM process and, having done that, whether it will reflect in lower costs in the premiums of people living in areas affected by CFRAM. That remains to be seen and I would like to hear the view of the Minister of State.

Many people have carried out works in smaller areas, such as Castlemartyr in County Cork, which was badly affected, and places like Midleton. Some of those people had insurance, but others did not and had to pay out quite an amount of money to repair damaged property. They are looking for an answer to the question of whether Insurance Ireland will realistically engage and whether a real protocol will be put in place to ensure that, once the OPW has future-proofed a particular area that is within a certain flood plain, the cost of insurance will be reduced for people in the future. I acknowledge it is an ongoing process and I appreciate the Minister of State's engagement on it. Those are my opening remarks.