Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach for giving me the opportunity to come in. It is very clear there is a huge human impact in this regard in terms of homeowners, farmers and agricultural practice. We have heard that in the evidence here today. I wish to pick up on something at the end of the presentation given by Ms Murray and the comment Councillor Fallon made. On her very last slide, in the top right-hand corner of the photograph, looking at the gable of the house, the biodiversity impact of this can be seen in terms of what used to be trees at the back of that particular house. The biodiversity in that area has been completely wiped out as a result of this. What the community is looking for is that the turlough would go back to its normal natural winter flood level, nothing more and nothing less.

The big question is where we go from here. We need to see action on foot of this presentation. Roscommon County Council set out the situation very clearly last May and the steps that needed to be taken. It wrote directly to the Minister of State, Deputy O’Donovan, who has taken the matter up with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, because he stated that many of the policy and legislative matters are the responsibility of that Department. Earlier this month I raised this issue with the Minister of State, Deputy O’Donovan, through a parliamentary question. He said he is still waiting for engagement from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on it. On 13 October, the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, came back and said the Department was liaising with the OPW but there was no question of legislative change. That did not arise in this regard. Therefore we are back to this game of tennis. The OPW is referring it to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, which in turn is referring it back to the OPW. In the meantime the water is getting closer and closer to the families and farms involved. We need to progress this and move it on.

Deputy Fitzmaurice and I and five other colleagues have signed a motion that we have laid before the Dáil. It seeks the establishment of a cross-departmental, cross-agency task force to address the emergency climate adaptation measures to protect homes across this country. It is this community we are talking about today, but we already saw last week in Galway, Cork and locations here in Dublin that this issue is going to arrive at someone else's door again and we must get ahead of it. In fairness, when I put this specific proposal to the Taoiseach today in the House, he committed to examining it and to engaging with the Ministers in this regard.

What we need now is a recommendation from this committee to establish a national task force to take on this role and to set as the first item on its agenda using the community around Lough Funshinagh as the test case in this context. The progress we make concerning this issue can then be replicated in every other community around the country. I am asking, therefore, this committee to take on board the motion on flooding risks at Lough Funshinagh, which is on the Dáil Order Paper, adopt it and lay it before both Houses. Both Houses could then progress this measure through engagement with both Ministers. I say this because unless we have a co-ordinated approach on this matter, we will be passing it back and forth, as has been the case up to now. I hope I can get a seconder and the support of the committee for my proposal.