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

I do not wish to bore the Ceann Comhairle. I have already spoken on this matter several times tonight. When one looks at the Question Paper, one can see how relevant an issue this is for the House, given the number of Deputies from all over the country who have raised it. The problem is getting worse. Previously, it was confined to places such as Clonmel, towns on the Suir and low-lying parts of the east of the country. Now it is everywhere. It is happening out of the blue as a result of monsoon-type rain. There are two more storms due between now and the end of the week. I find myself looking at weather alerts every weekend, dreading what will happen to communities that I know, based on mapping, are in serious difficulty. The House will have to do a very serious body of work, and we must depoliticise it. There was no attempt to politicise it tonight, but we will have to grapple with this issue quite rapidly because time is running out for towns and communities across the country. They cannot keep pace with the amount of flooding that is occurring. They need us to change rapidly in order that we can bring the infrastructure they need to them.

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