Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Much of what Deputy Flaherty referred to is covered in the national development plan under a number of different agencies, including Transport Infrastructure Ireland, Irish Water and the councils.

With regard to Deputy Crowe's comments, I do not have responsibility for water in the sewerage system. This is under the remit of the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. I have attended the meetings organised by Deputy Carey and I also referred to Deputy Quinlivan in the Sinn Féin group.

I am well aware of the issue around Shannon Group and I know what is being tried and attended to. My colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Naughton, will have role in this because she is the line Minister with responsibility for aviation and the Shannon Group.

I remember the Clonlara incident when a lady had to be lifted out of her house. As Deputy Crowe has rightly said, Clare County Council has submitted an application to An Bord Pleanála. I am glad the Deputy referred to objections. The Acting Chairman will also be aware of this. As a Government we are going to have to do something about what defines an objection. I am veering off-script now but we have to try to make sure that objections to large infrastructural projects, which are there to protect property and protect people's lives, are not vexatious objections. Often many objections are submitted, especially on flooding issues, and every rural Deputy will be aware that sometimes those objections do not even come from the area where the flood relief scheme is to be built. It is a source of massive frustration for local authorities. The OPW normally gets the blame then. We get the blame for people lodging objections, which has nothing at all to do with us. If schemes are outside the Arterial Drainage Act, then Clare County Council can apply, and naturally consideration is given to all applications. The better the application, the more likely it is to be funded.

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