Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

These are important issues for many communities and they will not be easily solved. There are some aspects of these problems to which there is no technical solution. That is a fact of life for the communities which have lived in the various affected river basins for many years. The problems to which I refer will not be solved overnight, if they are to be solved at all.

On how we should go about opening up watercourses, etc., there is a need for certain bridges to be re-examined.

See this speech in context