Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There was talk about the birds directive and that we cannot go in. It is very simple: we can go in.There is already a derogation under the birds directive where public health requires works to be carried out. Local authorities use this derogation all the time for hedge cutting and there is absolutely no reason work cannot be done by the OPW to get into the channel from the river downstream to the lake. I cannot understand the resistance. I believe the Minister of State is grasping the nettle. In his previous capacity, he spoke about the problems of flooding in Galway. No more than myself, I am sure he is endeavouring to the best of his ability to get this solved. However, it is over to the Minister of State really. This is being complicated. There is a legal obligation on the OPW which it has not lived up to in Crossmolina in relation to the clearance of this channel. I ask the Minister of State not to allow people who have been at this for years to give him the run-around. This is an old chestnut within the OPW and it has not been responding. Given that there is no problem with the National Parks and Wildlife Service or the IFA, why is it not being done?