Noel McCarthy (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response and for the update. I commend the officials in the OPW and Cork County Council, and the previous Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, Deputy Kieran O'Donnell, on the work done to date, and the establishment of the individual property protection scheme for east Cork.

While I acknowledge that areas such as Midleton, Castlemartyr, Mogeely and Killeagh were devastated by the flooding caused by Storm Babet in October 2023, I must highlight the plight of Rathcormac, which has long been identified as a flood risk. This, unfortunately, came to pass following Storm Babet, with many properties devastated by flooding. This is something that will forever be remembered in the community. I have no doubt that those who were impacted will continue to be fearful of a repeat whenever the area is subject to prolonged rainfall. I acknowledge that Rathcormac is included in tranche 2 of the CFRAM programme, but is there a possibility of it being prioritised for works and included under tranche 1 of the programme?

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