Joe Cooney (Clare, Fine Gael)

That is good. As Ms Ryan is well aware, rural villages and towns are being left; they are not being dealt with. Unfortunately, the population is dwindling away there. We are well aware of the issues in the environment and what has to be looked after now. If you do not have the proper systems, you will not be allowed to build in those villages and towns. Unfortunately, in my own County Clare, we have more than 50 settlements that do not have wastewater treatment systems. What are the chances of them going forward?

I thank the ESB for the fantastic work it did after the storm, and its workers who worked night and day. What measures has the ESB put in place going forward so we will never see the likes of this again? What we saw in rural Ireland was just unbelievable.