Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for the answer. In regard to the leveraging of funding, I am broken-hearted that the Government does not see the merit in it. The biggest argument against investing in small, isolated pockets of rural Ireland is the cost-benefit analysis which dictates that if there is a certain amount of money, it will go to where the people are. The logic is that such an approach gives a better bang for the buck. A leveraged fund specifically for areas of low population - that is what CLÁR was founded on - could make it affordable for the mainline Department to provide its part of the funding. It would make up the difference and narrow the gap. I ask the Government to reconsider the merits of this type of co-funding because it certainly delivered in the past.

There is some misunderstanding in this regard. Perhaps I did not put the question correctly. In these cases it is not a matter of coastal erosion. The roads that are there work perfectly other than during a high tide. However, the tides can differ in height by metres between the spring tides of March and September and ordinary tides. They are also affected hugely by the wind. In the cases of which I speak, there is a serviceable road and everything is fine until a high tide causes the water to rise so that you cannot drive across it. It gets flooded. It is about flooding rather than having to build big coastal defences. In one case there is a half a mile of flat road with a wall on the side that needs to be raised by about a metre. It is as simple as that but I was told it would cost €500,000. If that is what it takes, that is what it takes. There is a good business in the area as well as a few houses. In another case there are 14 houses with the same problem on a much shorter stretch of road that passes through a hollow and up again.

I certainly will take on board what the Minister said. He has given me a good lead today. I am interested to hear about the interdepartmental group. Perhaps it will consider including access as one of the issues it will tackle around the coast. One can only imagine what it is like living in a house and getting up in the morning to find the tide is in and the children cannot go to school. I would have loved that to happen when I was in school. Nowadays, however, the children want to go to school and the parents want to get them there. They are all very serious about it. The situation for people affected is just not workable and liveable. I thank the Minister for his words of wisdom. I will listen carefully to his supplementary reply.

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