Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I do not want to personalise this because the Minister of State has brought great energy and focus to the issue. His answer goes to the heart of one of the problems here. It is a problem for another Department, the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government. The purpose of a Minister with responsibility for flooding was to take responsibility for every part of it. Some consideration should be given to the Minister of State getting ministerial responsibility in that Department to lead the focus there.

Crossmolina was almost flooded on 11 September when there were extraordinary levels of water three months before such levels are expected, which gives an idea of what the problem will be throughout the country because of the absence of a good summer. If a person's house is going to be flooded this October or November, he or she does not care what Department the Minister of State is in, he or she just wants somebody to do a good job. People want somebody to get on with the job. I am not convinced the OPW understands the pressure households are under. In response to a question from our colleague, Deputy Murphy, recently, the chair of the OPW spoke of a five-year plan and of going further than that. Does the chair of the OPW understand what it is like to have to wake up every morning and listen to the weather forecast to know if one's house will be flooded in the next few hours? That is the experience of communities throughout the country. The Minister of State has experienced it directly.

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