Deputies:

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this important issue to be raised tonight. I represent the people of West Cork, particularly, on this issue, the people of Bandon and Skibbereen who were so badly affected by flooding last winter. I am delighted the Minister of State, Deputy Mansergh, is present to hear me on this important matter because he has first-hand information, from his visit to both towns in early January this year, when he saw the amount of damage done there. I wish to concentrate on Bandon and the Bandon River to highlight the issues that need immediate attention. These problems also exist with the Ilen River which flows through Skibbereen. I hope the Minister of State will not give me and the people of Bandon and Skibbereen in his prepared reply a list of excuses about feasibility studies and co-ordination plans instead of action. I need not remind him it only takes a couple of hours from the start of rain to having water flowing through the doors of homes and business premises in both towns.

Deputies:

The Government immediately must have the following works carried out. It must oversee the removal of all obstructions from river beds and banks, including trees, rocks and debris from the Bandon River from Dunmanway to Innishannon and from Caheragh to Skibbereen and the Ilen River. It must provide emergency dredging along the length of both rivers. It is 30 years since any shovel of gravel was taken out of these river beds which is a shocking state of affairs. It must ensure the cleaning of all drains and road shores in the affected areas and provide the necessary funding for the proposed sewerage schemes so that construction can start immediately, especially where these separate farm water from sewage. It must replace all breached flood walls immediately and investigate areas where drainage problems occurred such as the Bridewell area and the Riverview development in Bandon and must provide remedies. No programme dredging or clearance of shrubbery has been undertaken of both those rivers during the past 30 years.

Deputies:

I spoke on this issue last November in the emergency debate in this House and raised this issue again as an Adjournment matter in January when I proposed local emergency plans. The national emergency committee was very slow to react in the case of the flooding and also during the period of sub zero temperatures in January. This is only a fire brigade Government in that it only reacts when the smoke is swirling all around it.

Deputies:

I call on the Minister of State to create local emergency co-ordinating committees on a pilot basis in Bandon and Skibbereen where these events occurrred. These would, in the first instance, investigate the cause of the flooding, propose remedies to prevent or limit recurrences and draw up a plan to cope with the consequences of a recurrence. They should be able to create a local centre for emergency services co-ordination with a designated office on a safe site having basic essential services. They should create the position of a local director of emergency services to work in conjunction with and under the guidance of the national emergency co-ordination centre in drawing up a plan to respond to further events.

Deputies:

The good people of Bandon and Skibbereen need these steps to be taken now and not be bogged down in a paper mountain of bureaucracy. These measures need to be completed by the end of the summer so that the people do not have live under the threat of being flooded every time it rains next winter. The time for action is now. I call on the Minister of State to cut out red tape bureacracy and act immediately. Actions speak louder than words.

Deputies:

It is of paramount importance that the rivers concerned be dredged immediately. How can flood waters subside when the rivers are choked with gravel and debris? More than six months have elapsed since the Minister of State visited Skibbereen and Bandon to view for himself the damage done to both towns. The only hotel in Bandon has been closed since New Year's Day. This is a sad reflection on a Government that has failed hopelessly to deliver the necessary precautions to avoid future flooding occurrences. I am delighted the Minister of State is here to answer my question.

Deputies:

I am delighted on this occasion to speak on my own behalf in reply to this Adjournment matter. Following the severe flooding which affected the general Cork area in November 2009, I visited both Bandon and Skibbereen in January of this year. At that time I announced that the Office of Public Works is fully committed to working in partnership with Cork County Council, including providing expertise and guidance on flood solutions for the area. Our aim is always to ensure the preferred solution is one that will afford the required level of protection while also addressing any environmental issues and providing the best value for money.

Deputies:

Following an initial assessment by Cork County Council of the November 2009 flooding event in Bandon it was decided that an in-depth feasibility study was needed to identify and assess the various options available to address flooding in the area. OPW set up a steering group with Cork County Council to commission the procurement of consultants to undertake the study. The process of procuring the consultants is well under way and an appointment is likely to be made in the third quarter of 2010. The study is likely to take approximately nine to ten months to complete. At the core of the study will be an evaluation of the economic and environmental impacts of possible flood defence options which will be identified by the consultants. The best acceptable solution that emerges from the study will then be brought forward by the OPW, in conjunction with Cork County Council, for public consideration. Subject to any proposals being acceptable locally, detailed design will then commence which will allow construction to begin in 2012. This timescale is in line with those for all major flood relief projects undertaken by OPW. It is dictated by the complexity of the projects and the multi-stage process which must be complied with to ensure that they accord fully with public consultations and EU, Department of Finance and statutory requirements. When I was in Bandon, I made it clear that the town would be in line to receive the level of protection that towns like Fermoy, Mallow, Clonmel, Kilkenny, Ennis and so on have received. That announcement was very well received by the people of Bandon and by the local press. They want proper defence works and I flatter myself that the day I visited Bandon in January 2010 will be well remembered when these works finally come to fruition and provide the people of Bandon with the protection they deserve.

Deputies:

I am aware of local concerns about the build up of silt and debris in the river. Responsibility for maintenance and for removal of such items from the River Bandon is a matter, as the case may be, for Cork County Council or any riparian owners along the course of the river. Cork County Council has examined the scope for maintenance work to be carried out on the river in advance of the implementation of any major flood relief scheme. It is my understanding that it has secured some funding locally and intends to carry out some minor channel works before the end of the year. If further beneficial urgent or high priority works are identified, it is open to the council to apply to the OPW for consideration under the minor works programme, of which three tranches have already been announced since last November.

Deputies:

The OPW and Cork County Council have also discussed the possibility of providing an interim early flood warning system for the town of Bandon ahead of the implementation of a flood relief scheme. The council is currently preparing a proposal for the development of a system with University College Cork. In principle, the OPW is agreeable to part fund a system with Cork County Council. This exists in Clonmel and is very beneficial as it provides several hours notice.

Deputies:

With respect to the problem in Skibbereen, the OPW has approved an application from Cork County Council under the 2010 minor works and coastal protection programme to procure a flood risk assessment and management study of the Ilen River. The sum of €120,000 has been allocated to Cork County Council to complete the study, which will examine the cause of the flooding problem and identify appropriate cost effective solutions. Cork County Council estimates that it will take approximately eight months to complete. It is envisaged that this study will also examine the viability of installing a flood warning system for Skibbereen. It is not possible at this stage to give a definitive timescale for implementation of any works recommended by the study. However, every effort will be made to move forward their implementation as quickly as possible, in line with normal procedure.

Deputies:

I am committed fully to securing effective and appropriate solutions to the problems that have been experienced by the people of Bandon and Skibbereen. I am confident the approach being followed by the OPW and Cork County Council offers the best prospect of this objective being achieved.