Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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5. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to provide an update on a permanent solution for flooding in Lough Funshinagh in County Roscommon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38435/25]

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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This question relates to the permanent solution to the flooding that has affected Lough Funshinagh in County Roscommon for years. As the Minister of State is aware - he was there to make sure it happened - there is a temporary solution in place.

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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Lough Funshinagh is a designated special area of conservation turlough and has experienced increasingly severe flooding in recent years. Roscommon County Council has implemented temporary flood defences, including road raising and water level management. The council is being supported by an expert working group comprising representatives from the Office of Public Works, OPW, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Geological Survey Ireland. The group has concluded that the lough is not draining as it used to and that this, in part, is the cause of flooding and is also a risk to the ecological status of this area of conservation. To address this, the council has developed a three-pronged approach, including the provision of individual property protection for those properties at flood risk, which includes TrapBags installed at selected locations around the lough. The OPW has approved funding of €529,000 for the provision of these measures.

Due to the significant flooding that occurred in the spring of 2024, the development of an interim flood relief scheme became the primary focus in advance of the permanent scheme. The €5.2 million interim scheme includes a temporary pipeline and pumping station for over-ground pumping of water from the lough to a discharge point on the Cross river. Planning permission for this scheme was received from An Bórd Pleanála in January of this year, with the pumps activated in March. As of 12 May, thee pumps were deactivated in accordance with the parameters outlined in the planning application until water levels in the lough begin to rise again.

Roscommon County Council has been stopped on two occasions, by means of judicial reviews, from completing emergency permanent works to reduce water levels back to normal. The council, with funding from the OPW, is currently progressing the Lough Funshinagh climate adaptation project. The studies and assessments that have been completed for the interim flood scheme are applicable to the permanent scheme. Roscommon County Council-----

Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State. I am just conscious of time.

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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I will come back in.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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I acknowledge the Minister of State's role and that of his predecessor in getting us to the point where the pumps started in March and the very positive impact that has had. As the Minister of State will know, residents living in and around Lough Funshinagh suffered incredibly as a result of the flooding in 2015, 2016 and more recently. They have been surrounded by water for years now. Some families have had to abandon their homes. Those who have remained in the area around Lough Funshinagh deserve incredible credit for what they have done. As a community, they are extremely resilient. They have battled to get to this point where the interim solution has been in put place. However, they want and need to see progress with regard to the permanent solution. That needs to be the priority now. We need to see both running in parallel. I appreciate that the Minister of State did not have the chance to provide it already, but I would like an update on the permanent solution for the residents and the community at Lough Funshinagh.

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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I acknowledge and appreciate all the work that has been done, particularly by the people and those in the farming community who live around Lough Funshinagh. It was great to go down there to switch on the pumps. It is great now to see the work on the interim solution coming to fruition, particularly as I was involved with the work on it when I was in government previously.

The long-term solution is on target for planning by the end of the year. As the Deputy knows, we had a consultation day in County Roscommon, which was very well attended. It is very important to get people to attend such events because we can iron out the issues and problems that may be foreseen. As stated, we are on target. This is a good-news story for the people of Lough Funshinagh. I have visited the householders there on a number of occasions. Even when I was not in government and out of politics, I still called at Christmas to see people. I have seen the devastation, etc., at first hand and have tried for years to find a solution. We now have a solution. The Deputy is right; we need the permanent solution. We are on target to deliver that, so it is good work all around by everybody.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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I, too, acknowledge the work. It is good to hear that we are on target for planning towards the end of the year. This will be absolutely essential. I am conscious of that as we come into the autumn and winter months. We all know about the winters the families and community around Lough Funshinagh have faced, particularly last winter. It was devastating. There will be a lot of work to be done after the permanent solution is put in place and sorted in terms of people's homes and the damage that has been done. Farmers with lands around the lake have suffered incredibly as well. This has been a real loss and has had a real impact on people, their livelihoods and their families. People have passed away in the meantime. I am thinking of one gentleman who never got the chance to live to see the current solution being put in place. Therefore, we need to ensure that the supports for the families who live in the area are there, whether it is in respect of damage, farmers, land or whatever. We need to see those financial supports for people who have lost a great deal. I am thinking in particular of those who lost their homes as a result of flooding.

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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I appreciate everything the Deputy said. She is on the ground and knows exactly what she is talking about. She knows more than those of us who are in government. The pressure came from the Taoiseach to the Tánaiste right down to every Minister who had a role in this.

As I said, delivering the scheme is important. I do not know if the Deputy had time to go and visit, but the day we turned on the pumps, it was great to see the local farming community and particularly the people who had suffered most - the families whose houses were affected - and see the excitement on their faces knowing that Government had listened and delivered on what they wanted. However, the final piece is the permanent solution. As I said to the Deputy, the meetings we have had to date show that we are very much on track to deliver that. I live only a stone's throw across the water. It was a very proud day for me because I have so many friends and relations who live down there. Seeing the smiles on people's faces is what we are about. I went into government to ensure delivery of major projects such as this and to give people peace of mind.

Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Lahart is not here to take Question No. 6. Question No. 7 is in the names of Deputies O'Connor and McCarthy. I will let Deputy McCarthy go ahead whenever he is ready.