Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for the question. We have already undertaken substantial works across the country and these projects have all shown, in their own way, the ability of these schemes to be able to protect communities, whether in Ennis, Clonmel, Clonakilty, Bandon or even in Douglas or Togher in Cork city itself. One of the things we have proven in recent years is that, where these schemes have been built and delivered, they work to protect communities against what are called one-in-a-hundred-year events.

The Deputy quite rightly pointed out the scale of the situation in Midleton. This is probably one of the most complicated schemes we are working on with any local authority. I should say Cork County Council is the lead local authority on the Midleton project. There is not just one source of flooding in the town but four. The flooding comes from the sea, with the tide, from the river and naturally from rainfall. Midleton also floods, however, from underground sources, which are like turloughs in the west. The engineering response needed to design a scheme for a town like Midleton is hugely complex in nature.

The last public consultation regarding this project in Midleton took place just last summer. The intention was always that we would have an option to go to the planning permission stage in the first part of this year. I again refer to the level of complexity involved in this project. By the way, we have put all the options eligible for consideration out for public consultation. In general, the delay has stemmed from the environmental constraints placed on us and the local authorities as applicants to a planning process-----