Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Fitzmaurice for raising this issue. I have never known him to be anything other than honest in representing his constituents, his people and his area. I will begin where he did by acknowledging that it has been an extraordinarily difficult time as regards flooding right across our country. He referred to some of the places affected: Midleton and other parts of Cork, Wexford, Louth, Newry - this has been an all-island problem - and, yesterday, Galway. I saw my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, in Clarinbridge. I watched a man cry on the news last night as he watched his business be devastated.

I very much appreciate Deputy Fitzmaurice's welcome for the supports put in place by my colleagues, including the humanitarian assistance fund opened immediately by the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, to get payments to people as well as the Minister, Deputy Coveney, today coming yet again to the Government to open an enhanced emergency business flooding scheme that can provide up to €100,000 on the back of a full assessment.

I also note the Deputy referred to the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, and the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan. People are acting as quickly as they possibly can, and there are other ways we will need to come at this. We will need a new national adaptation plan and a number of flood relief schemes to be accelerated, and the Government is fully committed to that. We have seen three storms in a month. If that does not give us an indication of the type of winter we are looking at, and indeed the climate change we are seeing in the world, I am not sure what will.

Deputy Fitzmaurice specifically raised Lough Funshinagh, and I know he has been talking to our colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, with regard to this. I am certainly not going to outline the history of this matter to the Deputy as he knows it very well and better than anybody, but for the benefit of this House, I know that this is going on eight years. I know that in 2021, the CEO of Roscommon County Council took action and wrote to the OPW and said he was going to exercise his powers under the Local Authorities (Works) Act 1949 to undertake urgent works at the lough. I believe he said he was going to put in place 3 km overflow pipe to the River Shannon. The Government agreed to that request from the CEO in the summer of 2021 and, indeed, we provided €1.7 million in assistance. Deputy Fitzmaurice knows the rest because, unfortunately, about 60% of the total length of the pipe was laid by the end of 2021 and then a High Court judicial review challenge was taken against Roscommon County Council and it stopped works on the site. That is the factual position.

Since then, last December, I know that Roscommon County Council and the OPW agreed to establish the expert working group to try to find a way forward and another pathway to come up with a viable solution. I know that the membership of that group included many different agencies and cross departmental representation, and they have been charged with scoping out the requirements to commission and undertake surveys and investigations to get this issue resolved. My understanding is that the steering group is led by council but the OPW is on it and is overseeing the work to identify a viable solution to manage the flooding risk at Lough Funshinagh. The steering group has been meeting throughout the year and my understanding is that it is due to meet again this week to discuss progression of the necessary investigations and timelines to get to implementation.

In light of the comments made by Deputy Fitzmaurice and the questions he has asked in respect of European legislation and the risk to life and land, let me take that back to my colleagues and we will revert to the Deputy directly on the matter.

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