David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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91. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to list all interim flood prevention measures currently being proposed across the east Cork area; the status of the progression and proposed timescales for the completion of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19865/24]

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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100. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if funding would be made available for interim flood relief works in Midleton, including the development of an early warning system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19879/24]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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It has been over six months since Storm Babet devastated my town, Midleton, in east Cork and surrounding villages such as Castlemartyr, Mogeely, Killeagh and Rathcormac. The impact is still being felt by people whose homes were devastated. Their furniture was devastated and all they had is gone. They had to move out and some of them have not moved back yet. Businesses were devastated as well. The Government has been very helpful and generous but we need to know when the flood relief schemes will start. Last week, the Minister of State told me it could be quite a while before the main one in Midleton will start. There has been a lot of talk about interim measures. What is the status of these interim measures? When will they start, where will they take place and how soon can people expect to see shovels in the ground?

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 91 and 100 together.

I thank Deputy Stanton who raised this issue during oral questions last week. I visited Midleton with the Deputy during Storm Babet and I am fully aware of how important it is, both to the Deputy and the people of the wider area.

By way of background, the 2018 flood risk management plans provided the evidence for a proactive approach to designing and constructing 150 additional flood relief schemes for the most at-risk communities, funded by €1.3 billion from the national development plan. Since then, the OPW has trebled the number of schemes at design and construction to some 100, including Midleton.

Pending the completion of this flood relief scheme, local authorities can introduce flood mitigation measures funded under the OPW’s minor flood mitigation works and coastal protection scheme. This provides 90% of the cost of localised flood mitigation measures up to a value of €750,000. Following Storm Babet, Cork County Council progressed a number of interim flood defence measures for Midleton, including channel clearance works, and is assessing further channel works and replacement of non-return valves this summer. The council is also continuing engagement with landowners in relation to removal of some bridges. Cork County Council is finalising a plan for targeted individual property protection to at-risk properties in Midleton. These measures are being funded through the OPW.

As regards interim measures, I am actively working on this issue with officials in my Department and in Cork County Council. I intend to visit Midleton soon. In terms of the interim measures that are being put in place, these will be in place until the scheme is complete, as we discussed last week. The roll-out of interim defence measures in Midleton is under way in a phased manner in compliance with the regulatory frameworks.

The following have been completed or are ongoing. The Midleton interim and advanced work report by Arup is under review by the steering group before being shared with the wider community. On the installation of additional gauges at Lidl bridge and People's Park, one of these has been subsequently removed and a replacement is on order. Remedial works to the Ballyedmond gauge to mitigate risk of further outages has been identified and a contractor appointed. A derogation licence application for removal of gravel downstream of Moore's Bridge is in progress. Work is ongoing in parallel on the procurement of a works contractor for this work at the earliest opportunity. A request for quotations for vegetation clearance in the town centre has been issued with a view to clearance in June. Engagement with riparian landowners regarding river channel maintenance is ongoing.

The following interim works are planned for the summer of 2024, pending various statutory approvals: in-channel vegetation, channel clearance and removal of deposit material in the channel near the Lidl bridge and replacement of non-return values at Dwyer Road and Ballinacurra; assessment of viability of debris screens; continuation of engagement with Met Éireann's forecasting system; and continuation of efforts to reach landowner agreement for the removal of bridges.

Individual property protection, IPP, is being considered as part of the overall suite of measures for Midleton in tandem with the interim and advance works. Cork County Council is in the processing of agreeing the scope and scale of the IPP schemes for Midleton in conjunction with the ongoing assessment of possible advance work and intends to roll out IPP on a targeted and phased basis across Midleton. To advance this, Cork County Council has submitted a draft application for a minor works scheme for funding for IPP. This application is currently under review by my Department and the OPW. We will discuss it with Cork County Council very shortly.

In addition to the interim work, the initial assessment and advance work has been carried out. There will be delivery of certain elements of the main scheme in advance of delivery of the whole scheme. There may be construction in advance in certain locations. Assessment of advance works is required to fully understand the impact of such works. The construction of an isolated section of defences to protect one area can potentially increase risk in other locations, as Deputy Stanton will be aware. We have to look at statutory planning consent processes and environmental assessments and we have to be conscious of landowners as well.

These matters will be discussed at the next meeting with the steering group. I am actively working on this matter with my officials and Cork County Council.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his detailed response and the personal interest he has shown in coming to the area shortly after the flood occurred and spending some time viewing the damage, etc.

Moore's Bridge needs attention. I understand a section 50 application has been made for planning approval to replace it. Some funding may be needed to get that done. I would be grateful if the Minister of State could have a look at that and revert to me later.

I mentioned Castlemartyr and Killeagh, which are also subject to a lot of flooding. There are plans on the OPW's desk to do some works in that area. Is the OPW prepared to fund those works and take them on? It would make a massive difference and give peace of mind to the people in Mogeely and Castlemartyr if works could be done that would prevent flooding in that area again? That is what we need to do.

Some people are telling me that when it rains in east Cork, they do not sleep at night because they are afraid this will happen again. I understand money is not the object but we really need to move this forward as quickly as possible.

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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I join my constituency colleague in raising this issue. Midleton town was absolutely devastated by Storm Babet. Both the Minister and Minister of State will be aware from visiting the town of the impact the storm had. We need to see every single function available at Cabinet, departmental and local authority level utilised to drive forward the proposed project. We need to see the utilisation of measures such as the Arterial Drainage Act and everything that is available to the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, the Ministers around him at the Cabinet table and his Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell. If this is not done, we will risk a repeat of what happened in Midleton where many hundreds of homes and businesses were utterly devastated. My desire and, I am sure, that of my constituency colleagues is to see the flood relief scheme delivered as a matter of urgency.

Two particular areas of my constituency, Castlemartyr and Mogeely, need immediate focus at State level to see what can be done to help local residents to deliver schemes in those areas.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I thank both Deputy Stanton and Deputy O'Connor. I appreciate they are both valued representatives for the Midleton area.

Having visited Midleton in my capacity as Minister of State with responsibility for local government at the time, I am aware of what occurred on the ground. I did not have direct involvement but I wanted to see what happened.

There is a body of work under way. I am actively working with my officials in the OPW and with Cork County Council. I want to look at this in great depth and then make a visit to Midleton, but I want to do that having bedded down a body of work for it, which is already under way.

Deputy O'Connor was not here earlier when I referred to an issue so I will do so again. The Deputy asked about an early warning system. Cork County Council, with its consultants and Met Éireann, has assessed the feasibility of a flood forecasting system for Midleton. Unfortunately, due to the short time period between rain falling in the area and flooding occurring in the town, a flood forecasting system based on rainfall and real-time river gauge observations will not provide a sufficient lead time to allow for an effective response. The national flood forecasting service operated by Met Éireann provides data on flood risk for major catchments and is developing its service to improve flood forecasting for Midleton and other areas throughout the country. That is within the Department of housing. I am aware there is work being done there.

The Deputy made reference to both Castlemartyr and Mogeely. In July 2018, Cork County Council submitted an application under the OPW minor flood mitigation works and coastal protection scheme for clearing work upstream and downstream of Castlemartyr. This application did not meet the criteria for the scheme. Following the recent devastating flooding caused by Storm Babet, the council confirmed it would review its original application and has resubmitted an updated application to the OPW for Castlemartyr. The application consists of proposed works which include increasing the height of the wall upstream of Castlemartyr bridge and cleaning, widening and deepening the river to improve flood conveyance. The OPW has reviewed the application and requested further information from Cork County Council on the submission. As for Mogeely, when I visit Midleton I want to visit those other areas as well. The OPW has been advised Cork County Council is currently preparing an application to the scheme for interim flood relief and mitigation works at Gleann Fia and other locations in Mogeely. I understand the county council is considering all possible solutions to mitigate flooding in that area.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. I remind him it has been six months since this happened and that it has happened twice before, although not to the same extent because Storm Babet was exceptionally awful. The work that needs to be done at Castlemartyr and especially Mogeely is not huge. I do not think money is an issue, but I am told the schemes were not in tranche 1. Will the Minister of State move them to tranche 1?

There was also talk of diverting the Kiltha River in Castlemartyr, which would solve the problem for good. What is the position in that regard and who is responsible for that? The frustration is that it takes so long to get anything done. I appreciate the scheme in Midleton is enormous and extraordinarily complicated and that it has gone back to be reviewed as a result of Storm Babet to ensure the works done will be impactful. People are concerned and businesses are worried. I have raised this issue in some shape or form virtually every week since October, as have my colleagues. There are three of us from the constituency in the Chamber and we have all been working hard on it, as has Deputy Tóibín. I ask the Minister of State to put some energy into this to really drive it on and ensure the council and the OPW work together to get work done on the ground. We have enough reports.

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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Estates like Gleann Fia, which Deputy Stanton mentioned, were absolutely decimated by the flooding events that took place. In areas where there is no plan, and Mogeely, unfortunately, is one that the county council is assessing, we need to see something happen at an OPW level. Further down the same river channel Mogeely has ground flooding issues as well as the river being there. I agree with Deputy Stanton that we need to look at how to address the flooding issues on the River Kiltha. Homes in that area have been flooded on a number of occasions and although Storm Babet was an extreme weather event, the likes of which have not seen in recorded history in east Cork, I have concerns about those homes being flooded once again. I would like to see the Minister of State working with Cork County Council to specifically address the issues in the areas and estates in Mogeely that were so badly damaged and flooded. The Government needs to determine whether, working with the adjoining landowners, it can propose interim solutions for the area. I am sure that could be done if they were evaluated.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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I had a chance to visit Midleton recently and I spoke to many of the people living in the area. It is important for people outside Cork to remember how life-threatening this event was. It was not just damaging to homes, properties and businesses. Lives were in the balance. I know of an elderly man who now works as a human water gauge, as it were. When the rainfall is heavy he stays up, sometimes all night, to watch the level of the river to see whether it is going to damage people's lives. I offer special thanks to Mona Stromsoe and the Midleton and East Cork Flood Protection Group. There is a protest happening on 18 May as part of an effort to raise awareness of this issue. The really frustrating thing is there is still no planning application in place. The communities were told in 2015 that there would be a physical response to this in the form of flood defences, yet nine years later no planning application has been made. I was talking to Deputy Stanton earlier and I believe the planning application could be close. I hope that is the case. Maybe the Minister of State could shed some light on that as well.

Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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I reiterate what my two Cork East colleagues were saying about the flooding. I thank the Minister of State. I met him in Midleton and I put in a number of parliamentary questions which, in fairness, the responses were fairly detailed. I echo what previous speakers said. The three problems here are fear, frustration and the pace. It seems there are solutions but it is about the pace at which they are coming. It is a miracle nobody was killed in the flooding because it happened so fast. I flag to the Minister of State a CFRAM study done in 2013 which identified many of the risks. It predicted 1.4 m of water in a one-in-100-year event near the house of the lady Deputy Tóibín mentioned, where her father used to live. We should also get ready to look at ten 100-year events in one day. I also thank Cork County Council. There are restraints everywhere, but we do not play party politics when it comes to local issues. I am willing to work with Deputies O'Connor, Stanton and Tóibín to try to push everybody forward and assist the OPW, Cork County Council and the Department.

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Glanmire flooded at the same time as Midleton flooded. The works have started in Glanmire, but the tragedy is that those works were sanctioned a number of years earlier and if the Government and the Minister of State's predecessor had not delayed, Glanmire would not have flooded that day.

Areas such as Blackpool in Cork flood constantly. Will the Minister of State provide funding to enable local authorities to put in eco-drains and flood protection measures? At the top of Knocknaheeny, an area I represent, there is a dip in the road at the Apple site which floods every time there is heavy rain, blocking access for everyone. Will the Minister of State give money to local authorities to fix those? Will he also provide a grant to people who live in flood-affected areas so they can put in flood barriers? That would be a simple solution for some people.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I note the great interest in this topic from TDs both locally and nationally. We are talking really about east Cork, Glanmire and other areas. I have been to Midleton. What we want to do here is protect people's homes and businesses. Wherever flooding takes place it is devastating. We are putting in place a comprehensive scheme in Midleton. It has taken a bit longer than we would have liked but we have had Storm Babet, so it must be legally robust. The OPW is working towards planning with Cork County Council. There are statutory processes that we have to go through. Regarding interim measures in Midleton, local authorities can apply to the minor works scheme for funding for interim or permanent measures at any location.

This must be done in a structured way. Flooding is a technical issue. It is up to the local authorities to assess the needs of local people and apply for grants from my Department, which will assess them and look to fund them. My objective at the moment is to get a thorough, detailed assessment done. We have engaged already with the OPW, so then it will be the county council. From there, we will visit the area to meet the people on the ground. I met many of them already, both the public and the-----

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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Is there a date for the planning application?

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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That is currently being worked through. The intention would be to get it in within the timeframe that is legally possible.