Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I think it is quite clear. Naturally, any planning application judge has to assess all the associated procedures to ensure that all the environmental impacts, including any potential hydrological impacts, are fully considered and assessed in the consideration of individual planning applications. I can only assume that was done. It should have been done. The regulations are there. That is why they are put in place and what the policy is there for. There is local authority planning and there is An Bord Pleanála and it is their job to follow through on procedures. I agree with the Deputy. They need to investigate whether every planning procedure and regulation was followed and whether every condition was adhered to. Deputy Fitzmaurice raised the conditions in this case. Naturally, if one is going to have any construction in an area it is going to have a knock-on effect. That has to be fully investigated. That is what planning laws are there for. That is what the Department is very proactive about.

It is a local conversation. From what I can see, if Coillte is involved in discussions, I do not know if the site affects it or not. It is alleged that there are impacts from wind farms on localised flooding in Roscommon. From what I have seen, Coillte is dealing with the local authority to see if its site is in any way involved. It will take corrective action where necessary. Deputy Fitzmaurice has specific planning details and I hope he liaises with the local authority, which is in charge of enforcement. Local authorities have a budget for enforcement. That is their job. As a Minister of State in this Department, I feel very strongly that we have to have enforcement. It is something we have to have. There is no point in having planning laws if we do not enforce them.

Ultimately, as I have outlined, it is a matter for the relevant planning authority to make the appropriate determination with regard to a planning application or appeal, having regard to relevant planning guidelines issued by the Department based on the specific merits or otherwise of individual planning applications. The Minister is specifically excluded from exercising any power or control with regard to any particular case, but it is important that all regulations are checked and enforced. On the matter raised by Deputies Murphy and Fitzmaurice regarding flooding in Roscommon, my colleague, the Minister of State with special responsibility for the OPW, Deputy Seán Canney, has lead responsibility and is working on this issue.

Much work was carried out on the CFRAM process and we discussed it on many other occasions as well. Very often, there are simple solutions. The Deputy said that most of the cases in Roscommon would cost about €11 million. Over half a billion euro has been allocated to be spent on flood relief over the next three or four years. That needs to be spent as quickly as possible and we need to work with locals on the ground to spend it and not have any delays.

We have the term "one-hundred-year flood." That is possibly going to change. We have had a lot of rainfall this year and we are well ahead of once in 100 years. I assume that all involved in flood relief prevention measures for the future are updating the technology and information in conjunction with our weather services. I imagine that is happening. I will certainly check that, because the one-hundred-year event is becoming too common.

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