Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. I ask that council officials would engage with officials from the OPW to see if it is worthwhile submitting an application for the projects they had in mind. The restrictive nature of the scheme is preventing applications from being submitted. I am sure every one of us can identify projects that we think would be suitable.

In considering how to deal with flood relief, officials at local and national level should always talk to local communities. The best informed people in regard to dealing with flooding issues are the farming community in particular. They have seen and experienced over the years what causes flooding. If I travel through west Cavan, on roads in Glangevlin, Dowra, Blacklion, under the Cuilcagh mountain range and along the Border, I can be certain that on a bad night I will run into a flood. I have to divert and take a different route from a safety point of view but the local community are being hit with that on a constant basis.

I will expand the question, if I may. I have also tabled a question related to the Arterial Drainage Act 1945 and implore the Minister of State to ensure that the OPW has ongoing and more detailed contact with its counterparts in the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland, the former Rivers Agency. A lot of the flooding in my area is common to both Fermanagh and Cavan. When the Erne catchment area water levels rise, we are all in trouble. We need a greater intensification of co-operation on a cross-Border and all-Ireland basis in regard to flooding problems.

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