Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this important issue. I am pleased that the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Parlon, will respond because it is he who has responsibility for the Office of Public Works. I understand he is busy with his election campaign but I hope he will visit south Mayo in coming weeks to meet the people affected by the serious flooding there.

Before Christmas, I and the local Fine Gael councillor Patsy O'Brien visited the home of Jimmy Connolly and his wife Eileen. While everybody else was preparing for Christmas, this family's home was flooded and they could not get in or out of it. Mr. Connolly found himself in a dire situation because his home was not insured against flooding.

I am disappointed that the Government did not declare Mayo a disaster area. When flooding occurred in Clonmel, the Shannon region and the Taoiseach's constituency in Dublin, all the State agencies were on the scene within 24 hours and those locations were declared disaster areas.

Several reports issued by Mayo County Council indicate that there are 50 places in south Mayo where the roads need to be raised and drainage work is required. This will cost money but it is essential in the long term. A regional road in the area which is used by 7,900 vehicles every day was closed for three weeks. This caused great inconvenience to families in places such as Neale, Cross, Kilmaine and Cong, where parents could not bring their children to school or get into or out of their homes.

The Government must take action to improve drainage in this area. Moreover, an agency must be set up to deal specifically with drainage. Neither Mayo County Council nor the OPW took responsibility for the situation in south Mayo. A dedicated agency should be able to decree that buildings should not be constructed in certain locations. What happened in south Mayo in recent months cannot be allowed to recur. This is not the first time the region has been affected by flooding and the problem will not go away.

Something must be done. In the first instance, families whose homes were damaged must receive some assistance. The most important action is the raising of regional roads. The 50 vulnerable spots identified by Mayo County Council must be dealt with immediately. A situation such as that at Christmas, where people were unable to access their homes, cannot be allowed to recur. People had to use boats and many had to be rescued by the Civil Defence and emergency services. I compliment the agencies who assisted these residents at Christmas, including even the county council when it was called upon. The problem is that nobody would take responsibility. I spoke to the county council's engineer, who blamed the OPW. The OPW, on the other hand, blamed the council.

What are the Minister of State's proposals to rectify this problem? What can be done for the families who endured serious flooding problems, some of whom lost their homes? There was also serious flooding in Crossmolina in November. I previously raised with the Minister of State and the OPW the problem of people interfering with the flow of the river there. Will the OPW take these people to court? Those responsible submitted an application for retention approval in respect of which the council sought further information. This information was not provided within the six-month timeframe.

Will the Minister of State come to Mayo and meet Jimmy Connolly and his wife Eileen and hear what they have suffered? He should see for himself the damage done. I know his officials visited the region and identified the serious problems there. Resources will be necessary to rectify the matter and that funding must be found once and for all. I hope the Minister of State will show some compassion by dealing first with those affected. After that, the roads and arterial drainage must be upgraded.

We are told that climate change will bring heavier rainfall in the winter. The problem will not go away and I ask the Minister of State to do something about it. Like every politician in this House, he has a seat to hold. However, I ask him to visit the area even at this late stage.

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