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

From the point of view of the OPW, which is the funding authority, this is being prioritised. In any engagement I have had with the CEO of Cork City Council, this has been to the fore in our discussions. I am due to visit Cork again shortly.

I recognise that this is not an insignificant scheme. A total of 103 properties are being defended, which are a mixture of personal and business. It will take up to 24 months to finish the construction but in the period since the previous tendering process stopped and this one was initiated, it has not been that Cork City Council and the OPW have been doing nothing. We have used that period to make sure any potential issues that arise during the construction phase will be minimised.

It is regrettable, though, that some people have used what was an unprecedented inflationary environment during which tenders had to be withdrawn for political purposes. Some people, for instance, started a postcard campaign and tried to create the impression that this was not a priority or, indeed, was not being progressed by Cork City Council or the OPW. That is erroneous. It is not fair to the people who are doing it. It is not fair to our engineers, the outdoor staff of the council, the OPW or anybody who wants to get this done. It is particularly unfair to the communities of Glanmire, Glashaboy, Meadowlands and all those areas who want this built to see somebody come in and try to politically capture and make hay out of this issue, which is grossly unfair.

See this speech in context