Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have listened carefully to Deputy Stanton's views. I again thank him for his valuable contribution.

One of the words the Deputy mentioned in the first contribution was "insurance". That is a valid point. I have worked closely with a family whose home has been flooded on three occasions over the past 20 years and, unfortunately, after the third claim, they were no longer able to secure any insurance. It is a real live issue.

The Government recognises the clear challenge posed by rising sea levels for the country as a whole and for coastal communities in particular. Climate change projections indicate that flooding events are expected to become more frequent and severe in the future. This will have a considerable impact on flood risk in Ireland, especially where our cities and most of our main towns are located either on the coast or alongside our estuaries or rivers.

This challenge will require a national co-ordinated and integrated strategy to manage the projected impact of coastal change on these communities. To that end, the Government has established the interdepartmental group on managing coastal change to scope out an approach for the development of such a strategy. Since its initial meeting in September 2020, the work of the steering group was progressed through a series of bilateral meetings, including, inter alia, the threats and effects of coastal change as they relate to the remit of the individual steering group members and the wider stakeholders.

The findings of the steering group are being finalised and these will be presented to Government for consideration shortly. It is envisaged these findings will provide a framework for key decisions to be taken by relevant stakeholders to best manage the Irish coastline in a manner that most effectively mitigates future risks. No doubt we will have a further conversation at that time. I again thank the Deputy.

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