Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

I join in the welcome in Galway to the Taoiseach, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy John Gormley, and the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Martin Mansergh, where great work was done by the emergency services and the voluntary sector. I propose that the Office of Public Works take the lead role in these situations with due respect to the parks and wildlife service and the fisheries bodies. I suggest the Minister of State, Deputy Mansergh, look at the work that has just been finished on the River Nanny in north Galway which was overseen by the Office of Public Works. There is a need to manage our rivers, hence the reason for setting up the sub-drainage boards, including the River Fergus drainage board. I would like to see more such work. I have seen what has happened in Abbeyknockmoy, Ballymoe in north Galway, where the River Shiven burst its banks in Newbridge in Ballinamorebridge, and the town of Ballinasloe where there was tremendous hardship. Effectively, people were cut off from Galway City were it not for the fact that the new motorway was opened ahead of time for which great credit is due.

I met members of the IFA who made clear to me the need to widen to Dunkellin River and put in place new bridges and the need to finish off the work on the Kiltiernan-Ballinderreen scheme which started in 1994. I hope the funding in place will help individual families, business people and particularly the farming community who suffered major losses. I welcome the debate today and I hope we get some answers so that we can say to our constituents what the Office of Public Works will do in the future and what funding will be provided by the Government.

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