Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will take the matters in reverse order. The council recently submitted a request for additional funding to the OPW for an increase in consultancy fees to facilitate the revised scope, and these have been approved by the OPW. As I said, the consultants are in the process of updating the scheme's programme, which will be considered by the project steering group tomorrow, 10 July. I do not have a precise date for the Deputy but I expect it will be published as soon as possible. It is something I can come back to her on. If she would like to write to me, I can come back to her formally to try to get a date as fast as possible.

In summary, the one thing I have learned since coming into the Department is that while there is this continual frustration with the speed of the roll-out of flood relief programmes, you must stick with the process. If you do not, many schemes can come unstuck. That is something that in my role as Minister I am very conscious of. If you work with the process, it may take a small bit more time but it ensures that the scheme has the best possibility of moving as quickly as possible and being the most appropriate for the circumstances.

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