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

I thank the Deputies for raising this important issue. My colleague Deputy Stanton is here as well. It is a major collective interest for the Deputies in the east Cork area.

I know Deputy O'Connor is involved in the debate as well.

To recap, I visited Midleton after Storm Babet. I am fully aware of the impact that this event and other flooding events in the town and elsewhere in east Cork has had on families, businesses and communities. After my appointment as Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, I visited Midleton and east Cork on 24 May. I did a tour of the area with Deputy Stanton and I met Deputy Buckley on my tour as well. I am delighted that I met you at Moore's bridge. I was delighted to have the opportunity to meet with elected representatives, local communities and officials from Cork County Council to discuss the flooding problems in the area and the plans to deliver the proposed flood defences and interim works. I met Deputy O'Connor on my visit as well.

I, along with my OPW officials, met with Cork County Council’s chief executive and senior officials on 29 July and 10 September. I discussed a range of issues relating to the delivery of flood relief schemes and interim measures across east Cork, including individual property protection, IPP, for homeowners. I am meeting the council again in the coming days. In fact, I met them earlier this week and I intend to follow up again next week. Decisions will be taken on these items shortly. I am planning on meeting with local communities again shortly to give them an update on progress with these schemes and interim measures.

I have a script and I will go through the key items. A text alert system is something we would like to see Cork County Council taking up. It is something we will work on. There are works under way in Tír Cluain, as the Deputy is aware, but I understand the nervousness of people. In Mogeely - I want to pronounce this correctly - I visited-----

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