Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I remind Deputies Fitzmaurice, Naughten and Kerrane that they do not have four minutes each. They have one minute and 20 seconds.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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The Leas-Cheann Comhairle should be more generous with us from the west.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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Two minutes, one and one.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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After we recovering after a Connacht semi-final on Sunday, the Leas-Cheann Comhairle should take it easy on us.

I wish to share my time with Deputies Kerrane and Fitzmaurice.

As the Minister of State will be aware, the rising water levels on Lough Funshinagh have resulted in the evacuation of two families within the past fortnight, with another home sandbagged last week. Without intervention, we anticipate that there will be permanent loss of up to four homes next winter.

The Minister of State witnessed the situation first-hand on the ground and he understands the issues that we are dealing with in terms of Lough Funshinagh. I understand he has submitted a comprehensive request for advice to the Office of the Attorney General. However, drawing on my own experience as Minister, seeking such advice can be a lengthy process as it often involves obtaining external advice. The families around Lough Funshinagh do not have the luxury of time and, therefore, I am asking the Minister of State to speak directly with the Attorney General highlighting the urgency of this request and seeking his personal intervention to expedite this process providing the necessary advice that is need.

As he will be aware, any legal remedy will be required to be implemented before the summer recess either to through the courts or through both of these Houses. That is why I am asking for his personal intervention in this issue.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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It is good to be able to stand here with my constituency colleagues and speak to Deputy O'Donnell, as a Minister of State, who has been down to Lough Funshinagh and seen it with his own eyes because one really has to see it to believe it.

He will be well aware of the trauma of older people, in particular, in that community, looking at their life's work totally ruined before their eyes and the fear for young families, in particular, young couples who have big mortgages, afraid to let their children out the gate for fear in some cases that they would drown such are the water levels outside their homes.

I am really glad that the Minister of State visited and he saw it with his own eyes but we do need immediate action. This is going on since 2016. It has been years, on and off. The flooding now is at record levels. People out there are really worried. We have an SAC that is destroyed. Everything in it is dead. It is absolutely ruined. We need immediate and urgent intervention to save the homes that can be saved. For some, it is too late but for the rest and for the community that remain there, we need to see that urgent intervention.

We will work with the Minister of State. We will support whatever is forthcoming to complete that overflow as the emergency action and then, in parallel, for the permanent solution that is there to be fast-tracked as well. That is absolutely essential.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I thank the Minister of State for coming to Roscommon to see it. He stated that he would have an update in two weeks and that is what we are waiting for. We appreciate people coming looking at it and if I had a euro for everyone who came, it would nearly do the job, but I would rather that we get the solution. The solution is what is needed. I believe that the solution is there with the Attorney General's office, that they can do it, but whatever pushing they need, they need to be pushed because they need to understand that this is critical for families right around that area. It was a few families first. The problem is that this is spreading. Will the Minister of State to keep the pressure on the AG because this has to be done? Is there any word back from the AG or where are we going on it? Will the OPW lead on this or will it be the AG who will send legislation in here because I have looked at the habitats directives a good few times?

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputies for raising this important issue. I visited Lough Funshinagh because I am not great in the abstract; I wanted to see first-hand and I am very much solution-focused. My trip to Lough Funshinagh was to meet the people, but also to see it first-hand for myself. I visited Lough Funshinagh on 12 April and have seen at first-hand the devastating impact the situation there is having for home owners and the community.

The eight townlands that straddle Lough Funshinagh have lived in harmony with the lake for decades. The highest levels in the lake annually were typically 66 m above Ordnance

Datum, mOD. The land, when dry, is used as commonage and the community work to preserve the rich biodiversity associated with this area.

Since 2016 this turlough, or disappearing lake, is not draining as it did previously and the water levels at Lough Funshinagh are currently at their highest recorded levels. Since January the average daily levels are rising by about 1 cm. On 20 April the levels reached their highest ever recorded at 69.38 mOD, or 3.38 m above the normal annual high level of 66 mOD. As of 22 April 2024, the levels are at 69.36 mOD, or 3.36 m above the normal annual level of 66 mOD. This extra 3.36 m is spanning an extended area of circa 178 ha. The additional volume of water contained in this extended area is approximately 3 million cu. m or the equivalent of 1,200 Olympic-sized swimming pools by volume. That puts it in context. The exceptionally high rainfall levels are contributing to this situation.

Roscommon County Council has deployed every emergency response measure it can and which is achievable through road raising, pumping and sandbags to keep the rising water levels from entering people’s properties. It is not possible to pump the water away from the area, so it is just pumped back into the lake to keep it away from properties. The OPW is currently supplying seven pumps to Roscommon County Council and servicing these pumps on site to support the council’s efforts to mitigate and manage the flood risk. Lough level changes are being closely monitored and risk-assessed on site by Roscommon County Council. The Civil Defence has also been requested by Roscommon County Council to undertake local patrols to gain familiarity with the local terrain and it has done so over recent weekends. In the week beginning 8 April, Roscommon County Council had to evacuate two families from their properties and close a regional road, the R362 at Curraghboy, except for local access. These measures will remain in place for some months.

The Deputies can read the circulated speech. I want to cover this in the limited time I have. I visited Lough Funshinagh on Friday, 12 April along with the OPW and the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Roscommon County Council. We held constructive discussions towards finding a solution involving the completion of the underground overflow pipe and including completing temporary works, as an emergency and conservation measure, to manage the flooding in this area. Logistically and technically works can be completed this summer and a request for legal advices from the Attorney General has been submitted to identify legally if a statutory or planning consent process can support these works and conservation measures in these circumstances at Lough Funshinagh. The steering group for Lough Funshinagh, with representatives from Roscommon County Council, the OPW and the National Parks and Wildlife Service met on Monday, 15 April and finalised the request for legal advices that issued to the Attorney General's office on 17 April 2024, which is being prioritised.

I will be meeting the Attorney General and his team, so it is something I am taking a deep, personal interest in. I gave that commitment to trying to find a solution and working with everyone. I thank the Lough Funshinagh action group, the residents of Lough Funshinagh and their public representatives. I think everyone is at one. We are actively engaging with the Attorney General's office. I will be looking to meet the Attorney General about this as well, along with my team. A further steering group meeting was held on 19 April.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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We are talking about a depth of water 3.38 m higher than the historical level of that lough for generations. That would flood the whole of this Chamber. That is the height we are talking about here. I was at an EPA climate lecture earlier this evening on the issue of climate and health. It was given by Professor Lea Berrang-Ford. She said the greatest impact of flooding on health relates to mental health and it may take years for it to manifest itself. These people have to wait and wait and pray and pray the pumps do not give up. If the pumps give up then within a few hours they are going to have metres of water in their homes. We need urgent action.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. All we need to know now is how soon he will meet the Attorney General and when we will know what the Attorney General has come up with and how long that is going to take. We are being asked every day for an update. Every day the water is rising. We are getting some little bit of relief now due to the rain not falling, but there it really does not matter because the water is already at such record levels. I ask the Minister of State for any timeframe he can give us for how much longer residents are going to have to wait.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply, but this falls under the habitats directive. While we might not like the side of it that is looked at, it seems to put the turlough and the SAC before people. However, under the legislation and under the habitats directive there is emergency legislation to put a solution in place where a site of community of importance or an SAC is being damaged to basically move water, or whatever the problem is, in any part of the country until a long-term solution is found. Those are the facts. If the Minister of State needs help from us we are here to work with him. We are not against it. We are here to work with him on whatever needs to be done, because we do not have until next winter and the piece that has to be done to finish this off is going to take a while and we need to get it done. The Attorney General needs to get into gear and the Taoiseach needs to get talking to him because it is the Government that appoints the Attorney General.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I will say two things about dealing with this. It is about protecting homes and also, as Deputy Kerrane referenced, the SAC which is currently being seriously damaged because of the levels of the lake. My main focus here is the people who are living around Lough Funshinagh. I have met them and seen what they are going through. It is all about finding a solution and I accept we all know what the permanent solution is. Every aspect we discussed on the day is being considered by the Attorney General. That is why I wanted a comprehensive submission. The Taoiseach is very much focused on this and working with me. As for the timeframe, it has to happen relatively quickly because time is of the essence. We are facing a further winter and it will take time to do the works. We are all on the one page. Regarding the advice from the Attorney General, the whole focus here is on us getting something that can work that we can put into action this summer and we must ensure it is legally sound. We owe that to the people. They have been waiting a long period of time. I give a commitment on this issue. I very much take on board what the Deputies have done to date. I see it as a partnership model. The Attorney General's office is the highest legal office in the land, the advice is being worked on and I will be meeting him very shortly.