Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for the details in his response. In order to deal with this issue, I will concentrate specifically on the fact that the Government established a Shannon flood risk State agency co-ordination working group in 2016. Its specific remit was to support existing plans in place to address flooding. As the Minister of State alluded to, measures that have been undertaken further to that include €7 million towards a strategic programme of maintenance and the removal of constrictions or pinch points on the bed of the River Shannon at the Callows region between Athlone and Meelick weir. Those works are ongoing and have not had the desired impact or effect we hoped or envisaged. That must be addressed.

The agency's other duty was to enhance the ongoing co-operation of all State agencies involved with the River Shannon. I am here and raising this issue for the second year running. It is impacting at least 200 farms, their livelihoods and potential to provide livelihoods in the future. That would suggest that the co-ordinated approach is not working. The protocol to which the Minister of State referred that seemed to direct us towards the ESB and Waterways Ireland to deal with levels and their maintenance between Athlone and Meelick is not working. That protocol is not sufficient because if it were, we would not have the flooding or the diversity of opinion about the management of those weirs as has been relayed to me.

It is now incumbent on those with responsibility within the Government to again bring together that risk agency co-ordination working group, lay those questions at its table, seek resolutions from those at the table with responsibility and who had given commitments that such a co-ordinated approach would meet with the desired impact, resolution, success and support of those agencies and, especially, the people who depend on these lands for a livelihood. That is not the case. As I said earlier, the agency has failed in its responsibility in that area and, as a result, I implore the Minister of State to reconvene that group in the short term and meet the disaffected farmers and the representative associations to which I alluded in order that he is properly armed and has at his disposal all the relevant information. He should have not only have access to the information provided by those at the table who have failed to date but also the input of the people who have been severely impacted by the group's neglect and have little hope of survival if a resolution is not forthcoming as a result of the meeting I have proposed.

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