Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, for being here. It is much appreciated. I thank him and his Department for their engagement.

I am speaking today on behalf of the residents of Castlemartyr, Mogeely, Midleton, Whitegate, Killeagh and Rathcormac to urgently implore the Government and Minister of State to initiate tranche 2 of the flood relief programme for these communities. These towns and villages have been repeatedly and severely impacted by flooding events that have devastated homes, livelihoods and essential infrastructure. In Castlemartyr and Rathcormac, in particular, flooding has become distressingly regular. Families are being displaced, local businesses suffer long-term damage or have been closed, and community morale is at an all-time low. Each new flood exacerbates the already significant financial and emotional burden on the residents.

The situation in Mogeely is even more precarious. The village has at least 32 homes constructed with timber frames, which are particularly vulnerable to water damage. These homes will not withstand another flood without severe consequences for the residents. The inhabitants live in constant fear of destruction and many now feel abandoned by the system that is supposed to protect them. The houses have roughly 56 entry points so the flood protection gates are, as a fellow said, as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike. While I acknowledge the measures implemented through tranche 1, it is now imperative that tranche 2 be initiated without further delay, with Castlemartyr, Killeagh, Rathcormac and Mogeely placed high on a list.

Residents respectfully request the following engagement. They have asked me to ask for the defined scope and priorities aligned with the strategic outcomes, confirmation of ownership and resourcing across the impacted teams, the establishment of timelines, dependencies and measurable success criteria, and a commitment to reviewing the regulation on private house insurance, which is very high.

I live not too far from the main street in Midleton. I live beyond a place called Forest Hill, which gets flooded. We need an ark for the whole of County Cork, and that indicates the problem we have with insurance there.

The flood group that has been formed basically wants the Minister of State’s support. In fairness to him, he has been extremely engaging and has visited the region and spoken to residents there. I acknowledge that he said he will be back down again, but the residents are looking for points of contact. If there are any planning issues, they would like to be involved with them. This is not just to be nosey but to facilitate. They probably do the Minister of State’s job and mine at times because they are the experts on where they are living. They definitely want early input on priorities. They also want to know the Minister of State’s realistic availability to engage on this matter. He has engaged and I acknowledge he will be visiting the area. At a meeting I was at in Midleton last Friday night, the residents told me flooding is no longer an occasional national disaster but an ongoing crisis for affected communities. They are asking the Government to act before the next flood causes totally irreversible damage.

Never mind the financial stress and worry, the mental health of the affected people should be considered. They are really upset, hurt and frightened. The Minister of State knows that with mortgages so expensive in this day and age, they will be goosed if there is another flooding event in their area. The homes will not be homes anymore.

I will make a few more points in my two minutes after the Minister of State responds.

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