Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)

I commend the emergency services who responded to the flooding in Enniscorthy on Thursday and Friday last week. There are ways to alleviate the problem of flooding. The former Minister of State, Deputy John Browne, referred earlier to the dredging of the River Slaney in Enniscorthy and what the Office of Public Works proposes to do in building flood barrier walls without any consultation with the general public or local business people. It just rolled over the general public in Enniscorthy.

There are many organisations involved if one wishes to get rivers dredged - the parks and wildlife service, the Office of Public Works, the county council, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the fisheries boards. These are mind-boggling organisations. A critical infrastructure Bill was introduced in this House a number of years ago. A similar Bill should be introduced to provide for dredging rivers, which would alleviate the problems that occurred in Enniscorthy, and to stop all these do-gooder organisations who have been trying to prevent the dredging of rivers. Dredging rivers throughout the country, including the river in my constituency, would alleviate many of the problems, rather than erecting flood barrier walls to drive the river waters further down onto landowners.

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