Noel McCarthy (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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12. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the engagement he has had to date with a group (details supplied); if his Department is in a position to provide funding for the reimbursement of repaired infrastructure damaged in the wake of storm Babet; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40451/26]

Noel McCarthy (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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What engagement has the Minister has had to date with the Willowbank residents' association, Willowbank, Midleton, County Cork, which spent €7,752 on repairing the estates wall in the immediate aftermath of flooding caused by Storm Babet? Is his Department in a position to provide funding for the reimbursement of repaired infrastructure damaged in the wake of Storm Babet?

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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I am aware of the devastating impact flooding had on homeowners, businesses and the communities of Midleton and across east Cork during Storm Babet. While the issue raised is a matter for the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, my office in October 2025 corresponded directly with the Willowbank residents' association secretary, following contact between my office and Cork County Council. Cork County Council advised the OPW that funding had been made available to the council by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to assist with the repair of damaged infrastructure across east Cork following Storm Babet. Cork County Council further advised that the repair of the wall at Willowbank, which was commenced by the residents, was completed using this funding.

The strategic emergency management framework sets out the emergency management practice at national level and designates lead Departments for a range of emergency types. Under this framework, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage leads the response to severe weather events through the national directorate for fire and emergency management. Accordingly, there is no emergency response funding mechanism available in the OPW that would see emergency response actions such as those undertaken by citizens in Willowbank being refunded by my office. The Government is fully committed to providing support through the national development plan, providing €58 million for the Midleton flood relief scheme. A planning application is estimated to be submitted by Cork County Council to An Coimisiún Pleanála in quarter 3 of 2026 and be completed by 2031, protecting up to 750 properties that flooded during Storm Babet. The scheme will protect Willowbank residents going forward.

Noel McCarthy (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response and acknowledge his impact and that he met the residents of Midleton. He was in Midleton and I acknowledge that and thank him for that. I understand he is familiar with the situation in Willowbank because they have been in touch with his office. The Willowbank housing estate was affected by flooding following Storm Babet in October 2023. Several houses were flooded when one of the walls in the estate gave way under pressure from the overflowing Owennacurra river. Willowbank residents carried out repairs to the collapsed sections of the wall in the days afterwards as they were fearful of a repeat flooding. Financing of the repairs of the wall was provided by the residents' association at a cost of €7,752 through the estate's fund. The association has yet to recoup any of this expenditure and this shortfall has severely impacted estate maintenance. I acknowledge the OPW does not have a funding emergency response but has the Minister has any engagement to date with Cork County Council or with his counterparts in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on this matter? What is the situation going forward?

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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As I set out at the start, this falls under the Department of housing. That is not me passing the buck. There is no mechanism in the OPW to refund the residents. I respect the work the residents took it upon themselves to do, and I give great credit to them. I met them in Midleton. Somebody must have advised them when they did this work that they would recoup the money and that is the area they should be focused on, and whether it is through the local authority. In fairness to the local authorities, they are very much engaged with my office. They looked to see whether we could fund it and we said, "No, there's no mechanism in our funding stream to allow us to do that." The job has been done. Funding was received from the Department with responsibility for the emergency response to support the local authorities going forward but there is no mechanism within my remit to support the residents. While I would love to, I am afraid I do not have the mechanism to do so.

Noel McCarthy (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I acknowledge there has been some improvement in east Cork with the continued roll-out of flood barriers through the individual property protection scheme. I thank the Minister and his Department for that. However, every effort should be made to reimburse the residents' association for such a small amount in the grand scheme of the €50 million-plus Midleton relief scheme. That is where the residents are mixed up. There was so much money but they cannot recoup €7,700. The residents find that hard to understand.

I know my colleague, Councillor Rory Cocking, has raised the answer regularly at the quarterly Midleton flood committee meetings and has written directly to the Minister of State's office and the Minister for housing. However, the situation remains the same, as the Minister of State acknowledged.

We have seen other instances of extreme flooding across the country in recent times; surely similar flood protection works by residents have been undertaken elsewhere. Are any measures being considered by the Department that would see emergency response actions, such as those undertaken by the citizens in Willowbank, being refunded? Will the Minister of State or his Department officials consider meeting with residents to further discuss this matter? I thank the Minister of State for all his input so far.

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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The Deputy has put about seven questions in a couple of lines there. I give him credit for that. As I said at the outset, there is no mechanism. I am fully focused on protecting the people of Midleton and east Cork. I have put huge efforts in, as has my Department, in relation to working with the council to get our planning applications submitted quarterly. I am advancing on that and want to see it happen as fast as possible to protect people.

On the question the Deputy keeps raising, there is no mechanism. I am sorry to say that but there is no mechanism. I have no issue, when I go back down to Midleton, with meeting the people. I think the only option available to them is through the local authority and to see if the council has a discretionary fund that may be able to help them. I do not know if that is possible. It is something that has happened in my constituency over the years and we reached out to help. I give credit to every residents' association up and down the country that takes interim measures. Since coming back into the role involving the Office of Public Works, I have brought in many changes in recent months. I have been meeting people in all the areas flooded since Christmas and providing interim measures. That is a way forward. As those measures are being rolled out, it is open to Cork County Council to look at interim measures to support people in those areas.