Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I was over there in the Minister of State's position in 2016. The arguments being made now were being made then. In the Galway East constituency, we started the Dunkellin flood relief scheme in 2016. The Official Report will show it was discussed in the House in the 1940s between Members from the constituency who knew how to do it. However, it did not get done until 2016. Sometimes things move a lot slower than we would like.

I am delighted to speak on this Bill. It brings into focus an issue on which I worked when I was in the OPW, namely, trying to get this co-ordination group focused. There is a great team involved. However, sometimes it gets distracted by other matters. Accordingly, there has to be strong leadership if we are going to get the results we need.

When I was Minister of State, I met many people who suffered as a result of the Shannon flooding. What is forgotten is that there are legacy issues with the Shannon. A huge amount of silt has been put into the river over decades which was never removed. This was in the bygone days of Bord na Móna. Its productivity is now coming to an end, which means that the problem has not been there for the past several years. The ESB has responsibilities but has not cleared channels or kept the water flowing. The Dutch philosophy is that we need to make way for the river. If we do not make way for the water to flow, it will flood out onto the land regardless. How do we prevent that? Basic engineering principles state one starts by getting the outlet right and working one's way back. Many artificial blockages have been created which prevent the water from flowing or cannot get out.

We must also face up to the fact that a large volume of rain has fallen recently, with water levels increasing. I heard Deputy Rabbitte speak recently about a one-in-100-year event that happened five years ago. We have had four of them since.

We need to recognise that work is being done. The work on the pinch points, which I believe will be the basis of everything, must be sorted out.

If the Minister of State focuses on that for the next nine or 12 months we will achieve something that will help people. We will help the people in the Shannon Callows and the people whose houses are flooding. We will also reduce the levels by creating capacity. Deputy Stanley spoke about using cutaway bogs as places to dump floodwater. I have checked all of those options out. I come from an engineering background. The volume of water that could be stored there would be such a small percentage of the flood as to make no difference. Every approach has been tested over time. The OPW has done a huge amount of work. The National Parks and Wildlife Service has also been very involved and has led by example. In December 2016, for the first time in many years, we saw machines going out onto the Shannon to clear channels as a result of joint efforts between the Office of Public Works and Waterways Ireland. That work has continued. Works programmes have been prepared. The one thing the Minister of State is missing, though it is not his fault, is legislation allowing him to direct those bodies to get work done more quickly.

During the Estimates process last year I reviewed the work of the Office of Public Works. That agency had intended to start six flood relief schemes last year. It started two. That had nothing to do with the Shannon Group or legislation. Whether we like it or not, the consents that are required and the environmental issues that are raised constitute a huge barrier. I launched that scheme in Cork in 2016. Cork flooded three weeks ago. The scheme has not moved on because people object and want to do something else. The scheme has been delayed for the last five years. Why are business people in Cork suffering again this year? We have to be honest when we talk about bringing in legislation. I have said to people on the ground that we should concentrate our efforts on getting work done rather than on legislation. I looked at introducing a single authority when I was the Minister of State. I did not do so because I could have been mired in a legal swamp for five years while trying to get something done. Everybody would have taken their eyes off the ball and forgotten why we are here. We want to reduce the level of flooding, reduce the pinch points, do the clearing work and get on with it.

I am passionate about this. People tell me that everything would be solved if we had a single authority. I can guarantee that if we start tonight, a legal authority will not be in place in ten years and whoever is Minister then will still be introducing legislation to try to cover the Government's tracks. Whoever is Minister in ten years will be tied up in all of that instead of getting the work done.

This is all about co-ordination. We have so many agencies, but the process can be boiled down. The Minister of State is the chair of a committee that brings all the relevant agencies together. He will be driving these people and they will be trying to get the work done. In the next six to eight months we will see work done to remove some pinch points. That is how slow progress will be. Deputy Naughten mentioned the money that was given to Waterways Ireland. It has been carrying out work, but one does not see the effects on the ground. People are frustrated because land and houses are being flooded in the meantime. This is compounded by the summer floods in the Shannon Callows. I have met people there on several occasions. They are so demoralised because they have not seen any progress. The only thing I can say to them is that we can help the Minister to install the works they want. They are not looking for legislation. They want the work to be done.

Personally I feel we have too many laws. We are creating barriers for ourselves. I would not like to see us waste our time on legislation when we need to get work done. I do not say that to detract from the sentiment of this Bill. I will ask the Minister for one thing. A lot of Deputies here are passionate about this. They have experienced the flooding in their counties. Their families and friends are farmers. Perhaps the Minister of State would consider setting up a forum or webinar through which all Deputies with an interest in this can advise the Minister of State and provide him with our knowledge and ideas on how to resolve this. That would help. People propose postponing this for nine months. I would hope that the Minister of State will look at the existing structure and give the OPW the legal basis to drive this forward for the next ten years.

I refer also to the River Suck, which feeds into the River Shannon. We do not talk about our other rivers. Local authorities do not have the financial wherewithal to clean these channels. Deputy Naughten will know about one funny situation where riverine fishing rights are controlled by the ESB. We have to sort that out as well. It is strange that someone living in Dunnaman must pay for a licence to fish but one does not have to pay for a licence on the Shannon. These small areas, which are trying to promote tourism, are suffering because of this. I visited them last year. The people deserve a little better. We need to clear archaic legislation, rules and regulations out of the pond.

I have no doubt that the Minister of State's heart is in the right place, or that his team and the Office of Public Works will deliver. However, we need to work together. I have always said that flooding should never be a political issue. This issue is very close to my heart because I have seen flooding cause so much devastation in my own constituency and throughout the country. We can do more and better, but we must maintain our focus. I wish the Minister of State well in his role. I am here to support him and to support the OPW. We must bring together everyone who has an interest in this and make sure that at the end of the day we deliver rather than talk.

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