Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My constituency of Galway West suffered badly from a series of storms since the middle of December. Two tidal surges had a particularly heavy impact along coastal areas of County Galway. I pay tribute to a local community worker, Stevie King from Aughrismore in Cleggan, who will be buried tomorrow. He was a man of the sea and of the land who was involved in the Festival of the Sea and the Cleggan regatta. He told family members that he had never seen anything like the storms experienced in the Connemara area over the last several weeks. People who have been affected personally feel great frustration at their predicament.

As a former member of the local authority, I recall the stress that was caused when a certain housing estate was flooded. The stress lasted for a lengthy period until a relatively simple solution was found. I sympathise with all who were affected by flooding and storm damage. In some cases the solutions are easily found but in others it can take a long time to fix problems. In this regard, I commend the Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brian Hayes, on his announcement that work is to commence on the River Clare drainage scheme. The town of Claregalway has suffered flooding on a number of occasions, most recently in 2009. A new bridge has already been constructed over the river and the proposed works include the deepening of the channel at the new bridge in Claregalway; maintenance of the channel from the Curraghline downstream; the creation of a two-stage channel and an embankment at Crusheen, close to the new bridge; cleaning and extension of the island drain to Carnmore to relieve regular flooding near Greaney Glass; and the installation of a one-way valve to prevent water from backing up in times of heavy rainfall or flooding. The Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, visited Claregalway last year in the company of local councillors Peter Feeney and Malachy Noone and officials from the OPW.

Aillebrack in Ballyconneelly suffered greatly during the initial storms in early January. Council workers and locals did a lot of hard work in filling sandbags to keep back the tidal surge. Unfortunately, their efforts were not successful but the council is progressing the installation of a new flood defence wall to replace the previous wall, which was constructed in 1942 and collapsed during the storms. This immediate solution will be funded through the OPW.

In light of what has happened in the last two months, we need a stronger emergency committee. The UK has established what is known as the COBRA committee. It is a catchy name and people know that action is taking place if it meets. We should establish a similar body that can meet immediately when a storm or other natural disaster hits. Such a body could be a focal point to get messages about what is happening to the media.

Last week the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine outlined funding for piers and harbours of €8.8 million nationally. I welcome the announcement but it may not be sufficient given that €1.45 million will be needed to repair damage in Galway alone. A strong statement is needed on funding for coastal protection. I commend the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, on the OPW's support for small schemes costing less than €500,000. Local authorities are preparing lists of projects to repair existing walls, rock armour or new coastal protections such as those required on the Aran Islands and Inisbofin. Certain businesses on the Aran Islands have been affected by the closure of roads due to erosion by the sea. The repair of these roads will require considerable investment, possibly involving tenders for construction work. I hope there will be a strong commitment from the Minister of State and the OPW that funding will be made available to Galway County Council. Galway suffered €18 million in damages and, while a number of positive announcements have been made, concerns remain about the piers in areas such as Aughris and Cill Chiaran. The lists already submitted by the county council only take account of damage done before mid-January or early February and the bill is likely to increase as additional projects are submitted.

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