Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Government has committed €1.3 billion in funding to flood relief programmes under the national development plan 2030. Six of these schemes are County Kilkenny at Graiguenamanagh, Thomastown, Inistioge, Freshford, Ballyhale and Piltown. The scheme in Graiguenamanagh is one of the first 100 schemes in the first tranche. The scheme was approved in March 2020 and consultants were appointed but we are still only at stage 1, five years later. I am looking for a commitment from the Government that there will be renewed urgency in getting going not just with the Graiguenamanagh scheme but also with flood relief schemes around the country. This is a significant issue. The funding is there but we need to see more urgency in getting these schemes over the line for the peace of mind of those towns and villages.

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