Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

There is a Government task force on emergency planning under which all Departments come together to deal with emergency responses. It performed this work in October after the recent flooding. There is already joined-up thinking in place. Deputy Boyd Barrett should acknowledge that those with responsibility must take responsibility and must perform the roles they have been given. I am referring to the local authorities and the Office of Public Works. There is no difficulty with this and it does not require an ability to understand Einstein's theory to realise that a local authority with a democratic mandate should identify the areas that have a particular problem and that are subject to flooding on a regular basis. It is for them to make a submission, perhaps they have done so but I am unsure. They should prioritise their submissions to the OPW if they want capital works to be carried out. In the meantime, people undergoing hardship have access to the €10 million that the Government has provided in difficult times.

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