Mr. John Fitzgerald:

I am not aware of particular circumstances on the River Suir or what happened there. The Department is not responsible for planning or whatever licences are involved. Throughout the country many of our regional management staff were first on the ground with the other agencies to try to help people find solutions. Our aim on those occasions was to put people first. There may sometimes be sense in assessing emergency works. It is possible that they could have effects on other communities downstream and it is often worthwhile carrying out some assessment of what is proposed to ensure they will not. The Department has been working very closely with other agencies in the meantime, for example, the Office of Public Works on its catchment flood risk assessment and management, CFRAM, programme. We have been as proactive, helpful and co-operative as possible.

We will continue to work within our statutory functions. On emergency works to relieve flooding, we have put the details of liaison officers in each area in the country on our website. People or agencies that have concerns can contact the regional staff who will be available to deal with them and co-operate in whatever way they can. The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government co-ordinated an emergency response protocol between various agencies and the National Parks and Wildlife Service will work with them. It has been a question of people first. As I said, I am not aware of what happened on the River Suir or that we have to any extent put barriers in the way of emergency flood relief works. In Ballycar we will work within our statutory remit to do what we can. We do not have funding to carry out these infrastructural works.

However, we will do what we can to help in such situations.