Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I reiterate what my two Cork East colleagues were saying about the flooding. I thank the Minister of State. I met him in Midleton and I put in a number of parliamentary questions which, in fairness, the responses were fairly detailed. I echo what previous speakers said. The three problems here are fear, frustration and the pace. It seems there are solutions but it is about the pace at which they are coming. It is a miracle nobody was killed in the flooding because it happened so fast. I flag to the Minister of State a CFRAM study done in 2013 which identified many of the risks. It predicted 1.4 m of water in a one-in-100-year event near the house of the lady Deputy Tóibín mentioned, where her father used to live. We should also get ready to look at ten 100-year events in one day. I also thank Cork County Council. There are restraints everywhere, but we do not play party politics when it comes to local issues. I am willing to work with Deputies O'Connor, Stanton and Tóibín to try to push everybody forward and assist the OPW, Cork County Council and the Department.

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