Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In recent months, we have seen the devastation caused by flooding in Midleton. In fairness, the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Minister for enterprise and a whole host of Ministers visited the area where businesses and families were left devastated. Extra funding was given. However, long before Midleton there is a place that the Taoiseach's satnav did not seem to find. It is in County Roscommon and is called Lough Funshinagh. In fairness, the Minister with responsibility for the OPW and the Minister for agriculture visited it. Neither the Taoiseach nor Micheál Martin seemed to hear about Lough Funshinagh in County Roscommon. In fairness, the junior Minister with responsibility for the OPW gave money and Roscommon County Council started work out of the budget from the OPW.

There are so-called friends of the environment while an SAC is dying on its feet. At the moment, the trees are actually dying. Worse still, the council is advising elderly people to leave their homes. This has been going on for years. Having spoken to these elderly people, I believe they do not intend to leave and will weather this out. They are sick and tired of what is going on. In fairness to the Minister of State, he put money there.

When the country needed to put jet engines in for power, the Minister, Deputy Ryan, came into the Dáil and legislation on Bord na Móna went through in one week. We were able to sign emergency legislation to bypass all European directives to make sure we could do the works because our country was in danger of losing power. That was done right around the country. Unfortunately, the Minister for arts, heritage and the Gaeltacht did not even visit the area where an SAC is dying on its feet. I do not blame the Minister with responsibility for it because his hands are in chains, between the courts down there and EU legislation. The Taoiseach has met Ursula von der Leyen often enough and he knows people in Europe. The head guy over environment was over here on the derogation. What have we done to try to help those elderly people? The Taoiseach may say they are out in the sticks; if this happened in Dublin it would be sorted. These people deserve better than what is going on at the moment. The Taoiseach has it in his hand and can sign emergency legislation to bypass.

It was done in the Corrib gas field. The Taoiseach has it in his grasp to sign that legislation to bypass European directives, prevent the death of an SAC or so-called SAC and save people's lives. The solution up to now was to knock one house and move the people. Will the Taoiseach do that for those people? Will he help the Minister of State to get this situation resolved for those people, rather than forcing them to fight the height of water that is coming at them once again?

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