Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I again acknowledge the Deputy's continued interest in the Crossmolina flood relief scheme and, indeed, that of Deputy Calleary and others. It is a scheme that the Government is committed to advancing. I acknowledge the great work of the OPW on this project. As the Deputy will be aware, the specific role I have lies in either giving or not giving consent in respect of projects. I expect to receive a recommendation very shortly on this specific project. I assure the Deputy that as soon as I have a recommendation, I will make a prompt decision and will publish details of it accordingly. I look forward to doing that.

The people in Crossmolina are very anxious to see the scheme advanced. Much good work has been done to get to this point. The statutory processes can be frustrating for all concerned, but we have to ensure that in making a decision and that when consent is granted for a project, we insulate it, insofar as is possible, from the legal risk of a successful judicial review. The reality is that more and more schemes are becoming subject to judicial reviews. As result, we have to ensure that the process is rigorous and will stand up to the possibility of legal challenge.

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