Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)

I congratulate the Minister of his State on his new role. He held it before in the Government before last and I worked well with him in the past. Sometimes, an old fiddle can play a very good tune and I hope he will be able to do that in this case.

We look forward to more investment. My constituency of Sligo, Leitrim and south Donegal, like many parts of the country, has suffered grievously from changes in weather patterns and, in particular, flooding. It is a major issue for many farmers and communities in areas such as Carrick-on-Shannon, Leitrim village and so on where there are serious problems. There is a scheme in place. Many people there wonder about the value of spending millions upon millions of euro on flood protection without first making the small investments needed to remove pinch points on the river and make things a little bit easier and seeing how that works. That is an argument for another day, though.

The Minister of State mentioned Lough Funshinagh in Roscommon where the farming community has been devastated for years. There is an interim measure in place now, which I welcome as a temporary solution, but what we need to see is the permanent, long-term solution being fast-tracked and moving at the same pace. I understand that is not happening and there is frustration with the delays in moving it forward at pace to ensure we have a full and long-term solution in place for Lough Funshinagh and all the people of the area.

I welcome the small schemes that local authorities provide, which do much of the work on the ground. There is some money there and many local authorities are availing of it, but they are often up against it because there are people who have a problem with a river being cleaned somewhere. We all understand that the environment and wildlife have to be protected, but we have to look at the big picture. When something like this is done and a river is cleaned or a drainage system is put in place, the environment very quickly recovers. That needs to be seen and recognised. While it may be a disruption for a short time, the long-term impact is positive, both for the environment and the human inhabitants of the area. We need to put more effort into ensure we can provide that.

Farmers have a major role to play as well. Many farmers complain to me that one of the issues they face is ash dieback. Ash trees are the major tree across most parts of the country. They are falling into rivers and drains and blocking them. Farmers have no way of getting them out. They are a serious problem. Unfortunately, there has been no funding in place to date. If one has a plantation of ash, there are funds to help, but if one has ash trees along a road or river and they fall and become an obstacle, there is nothing to help. A measure needs to be considered because this impacts on flooding and the Minister of State's wider brief.

The general concept we have in this country that we try to protect after the flood happens needs to change. In other countries, they have permanent maintenance boast on major rivers like the Shannon. These boats remove the debris that builds up at pinch points like the eye of a bridge and bends in the river to ensure that the flow of water is uninhibited at those times it needs to be.

Another issue that needs to be looked at was mentioned by my colleague in terms of the lakes on the Shannon and ensuring that their water levels are low at the times of year we expect to have a lot of rain, thereby ensuring there is capacity to hold it and let it out slowly without flooding down river. Lough Allen is a typical example and needs to be examined seriously, along with Lough Ree and others.

The issue with the Shannon Callows is ongoing. I spoke to the group. The Minister of State knows its members well, as they are in his area. They have looked for years to get something done in respect of the callows. It is an ongoing problem.

I welcome the Minister of State's reappointment to this role. I expect that because he has held it before, he will be able to make progress faster than somebody who has not had that experience. We need to move with haste to get the investment in place to ensure we have flood mitigation measures, not just along ten and 12-year timelines, but much more quickly and with a much greater impact.

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