Mr. Tony Smyth:

In respect of any flood relief scheme we would propose, we would have to carry out a full environmental impact assessment, and that would include examining the various sensitivities on any river, including, perhaps, oysters or pearl mussels, if they were an environmental issue. We do not have a role in the fishing industry or anything to do with it, but any impact of a flood scheme would not want to damage other industries. In the process of trying to fix one problem, we would not want to cause another one.

We have some coastal embankments in the Shannon Estuary. In regard to the flooding around Limerick and Shannon town centre, there are maintained embankments in that area. I am not conscious that there is an erosion problem as such in the Shannon Estuary, but there are some maintained embankments, some that we maintain and some that are maintained by the Shannon Development authority or the councils in that area. I would have to check that as I am not fully sure of that.