Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As I said, the steering group is in place. A copy of the letter to which the Deputy referred was given to me earlier by the Minister of State, Deputy Ciarán Cannon, who informed me of the very serious concerns among people in the area. If and when we receive an application from Galway County Council under the minor works scheme, it will be considered on the basis of the existing criteria.

As I outlined, a very significant funding envelope, both from this Government and the Government of which Deputy Kitt was a member, has been committed in recent years to south Galway by way of the minor works scheme. That allocation had regard to the particular difficulties arising from the geology of the area. We need a solution that will work. Simply throwing money at the problem in the run-up to one election or another is of no use to residents of the area. It is a pretence of which people should be wary. We need a solution that is hydrologically and economically sound and delivers for people in the area. The promise of delivery is not enough. The very difficult terrain in this part of south Galway makes finding a solution more challenging. I had an opportunity to meet people in the area and I am aware of the effects of the flooding within the community.

We will continue to work with Galway County Council to address the problem. If the revised application meets the criteria and offers an effective solution, I and my colleagues will be to the fore in advancing a positive outcome. The ball is very much in the council's court at this stage and we are awaiting its revised proposals.

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