Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I do not doubt the bone fides of the Minister of State on this issue. I am on record as praising the OPW. My difficulty is the delay in delivery. The timeline for the CFRAM finished in 2016, which was the date of implementation and review. In Galway the completion date for the work to be done on the Spanish Arch and the surrounding areas, with over 940 properties to be protected, is in nine years' time. That is my difficulty. I also have a difficulty with the lack of knowledge in relation to the county. I can quote many of the figures, but what is the point? If there is an interdepartmental group, surely there must be a specific brief for when it is to report? To say, in response to questions, that a report will be available in due course is unacceptable, given the threat that we are living with and given the floods we have seen in Galway and elsewhere in the country. It is one of the most urgent issues that we must deal with so that we can trust and work with the OPW.

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