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

Deputy Moynihan will appreciate that a lot of time has been lost due to Covid. It has been extremely difficult for my officials and officials in Cork County Council, but we have done a lot of desktop studies and the environmental impact assessment report will be progressed in tandem. It takes into account a number of factors, including the presence of the Kerry slug in St. Gobnait's Wood, which is a special area of conservation. This is a new one for me. A site investigation was carried out in 2018. The Deputy will be familiar with the pearl mussel and the complicated nature of the issue. They add to the complications of the OPW and Cork County Council in translocating a lot of these species. We cannot translocate the people we are trying to protect. They are contacting the Deputy, Deputy Creed, Deputy Michael Moynihan and all the other Deputies and councillors and asking when the flood protections will be constructed, rightly so. The matter is being raised in the House. I can sense the Deputy's frustration. He is right. As soon as we can progress the issue, we will.

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