Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)

I acknowledge the great efforts of the emergency services and the volunteers who have been working so hard. People have had to leave their houses in my constituency, in areas such as Turloughmore and in Frenchfort.

The flooding in Galway has happened in three phases. In the 1990s, there was flooding but nothing was done in the aftermath, except a geographical survey at a cost of IR£400,000. In 1995, there was even worse flooding and afterwards the Government commissioned the Peach report, an English company that spent nine months in Ireland before producing a report for IR£1.2 million with no further action being taken. I blame the Government, particularly the Office of Public Works wildlife section. It has resisted every attempt by local communities to solve the problem.

In 1990, Kiltiernan national school, on the Galway to Gort road, between Kilcolgan and Ardrahan, was flooded. It was closed for six weeks and the children had to go to the hall in Labane. The village of Caheradoo was cut off for nine weeks with 6 ft. of water on the road, yet nothing was done about it. In desperation at the time, the local community, helped by me, set up an unofficial drainage scheme that drained the water to the see at Killeenaran via Ballinderrin five miles away. I happened to be there yesterday and despite the fact that the flood level is 8 ft. higher than in 1995, the school was free of floods, the Caheradoo road was free and the system was working perfectly.

I invite the Minister to come down and see what the local community did on that occasion. I am disgusted and fed up with reports that we hear no more about once the water subsides. Action should be taken by the Government. When the local community did that scheme, it was resisted in every possible way by the Office of Public Works. The OPW even wrote to the manager and advised him that if he gave us a road opening licence, it would stop all grants for the next two years. That was the intimidation that went on but we continued and I invite anyone to see how well it works today. The OPW should allow more action so people can alleviate their own problems instead of finding excuses to stop it.

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