Paul Connaughton (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the fact the Minister of State, Deputy Harris, is in the Chamber. In fairness, he has conducted himself admirably in recent months in very difficult circumstances.

As sure as night follows day, the water will recede, we will have an election and the agenda will move on. This is of concern to people on the ground. In 2009, one thing we heard all the time was that what happened was a one in 100 year event but six years later, we have the same problem and we will have it again. Certain areas are more prone to flooding than others, south Galway being one. People will take no satisfaction from this debate because what they want to see is action on the ground. There is great frustration in areas such as Craughwell and Ardrahan with regard to the River Dunkellin. The Minister of State has committed funding and the Department has put together a plan but An Bord Pleanála has put off its decision for the third time. My fear is that flood relief plans will go to An Bord Pleanála and be put off again and again. People want to see action on the ground. There is no point telling them €6 million is ready to go and that there is a plan but that we must have a decision before we can work on it. There is such frustration at present. In south Galway, this happens almost on an annual basis. It must come to a point that whatever small remedial works which need to be carried out must be done quickly.

I am somewhat sceptical of the task force and I hope I am proved wrong. I fear all of the relevant bodies will revert to type and protect their own interests. A situation which arose three weeks ago in Ardrahan involved three State bodies. Every time I rang one of the bodies to do the work, it said it would if the others agreed. We were sent on a merry-go-round for 48 hours while everyone agreed with everyone else that we could do the work but three or four houses were flooded. It is unacceptable.

It is not for us to force anyone out of his or her house, and nor should we, but an option of relocation must be put on the table for those we simply cannot protect. It is the conversation we need to have. It is not a very pleasurable one but for those who would like to move out of their homes, we should offer a very competitive relocation package. We did it in 2009 and it worked for some. It did not work for everybody. We should go back to that scheme, tinker with it and ensure it works. We should also ensure that whatever works need to be carried out in Galway can be carried out as soon as possible. Let us have one person and one authority making these decisions.

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