Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)

I thank the Minister of State for the reply but the problem here is that the can is being kicked down the road in relation to the Bantry flood scheme. It looks to me as if the Minister of State in charge of the OPW, whoever it may be, will be heading down to Bantry for the next six or seven years. I will be giving the same spin below, telling businesses that I am very sorry but we will have to wait for the next flood when the television cameras will be down and we will follow the Minister of State and reporters around. The bottom line is that 2031 is too far out. This problem has been going on for 50 to 60 years. How in the name of God can the Department turn around and say that it has done 56 of them? Skibbereen was one and it was a success. I am not going to say anything different but what Bantry needs is a similar scheme. Skibbereen is a success but there are 150 more schemes to do. Bantry is not going to be done until 2031 but 50 years ago businesses there were being flooded. That is not good enough. I plead with the Minister of State to go back and fight to see if we can bring delivery forward to 2026 or 2027 instead of all of this carry-on, where we have to go here and there and talk to this and that body. We need to go in and do the job.

The response in relation to the situation in Ballylickey all the way up to Coomhola, including St. Colum's pitch, is that the Department is examining a report. In 2017, the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, went with me along the river. We looked at the houses and we saw the water up to the walls of the houses, including that of Dan Dineen and many others. Good God almighty, the Department is only looking at a report now and considering it. That is not good enough. How can I go back to the people with that? The same is true for Ballinascarthy. When there is a flood, they are terrified. I think of the local people in the hall and the mighty people doing their best for them, including Councillor Daniel Sexton, who tried to help them, to see if they could block the water from coming in. The rivers are blocked but the Minister of State never mentioned that in his reply. Is there anything being done on his side of the border in relation to the rivers? There were fewer rules about it when I got into politics years ago. Bandon was being flooded because the river was blocked. I told the council I would put in a machine myself and would pay for it myself. The next day, a machine was put in and the river was cleaned out. A scheme was done there.

The bottom line with these schemes is that 2031 is not good enough. Ballylickey has been left with nothing happening and the same is true in Ballinascarthy, with the OPW passing the buck to the council.

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