Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for their questions. With regard to the Donegal region, Deputy McConalogue knows I was up there when the flooding took place and he knows the level of funding we secured for the local authority. We announced a great number of schemes that are being led by local authorities. Since then, I have asked the local authorities engineers to speed up the process of delivering the schemes. Given the number of schemes already on their books, it would be impossible for local authorities to secure those people's homes merely by being given more funding. The funding is there but they do not have the resources to do the work. We have to be fair to the local authorities by letting them do the work they are doing under the scheme we have announced. They have appointed engineers and are getting on with the job. I will visit Deputy McConalogue's area very shortly and we are fixing a date. We have a date in mind and I will let the Deputy know in due course.

To respond to Deputy Eugene Murphy, what course can we change? In the past two months, 450 mm of rain fell in the Athenry area. Other parts of the country had 220 mm or 250 mm of rain. Since I came into Government we have announced €1 billion in funding. No Government in the history of the State has announced such money to protect people. We announced 95 schemes. We appointed engineers and consultants. We have gone through the planning process. In some cases, I will hand back money at the end of this year because of people objecting to the delivery of schemes. Take the Tánaiste's area of Cork. A total of €200 million that was to be invested in the area has faced objections.

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