James Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis as teacht isteach inniu. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Seán Canney, for taking the time on 21 February to meet with the residents in Portrane, an area where I was a GP for many years. Councillor Tom O'Leary, who represented me on the day, was very impressed with the practical advice offered by the Minister of State and his stated commitment on camera to fund works at this location under the minor works programme. I understand applications of up to €500,000 can be considered. However, this issue has been ongoing for too long. The local residents are extremely worried, frustrated and angry that no action has been taken to deal with their plight, namely, the real risk to their homes from flooding by the nearby sea. The residents have been responding proactively to try to defend their homes from the sea and feel abandoned by the authorities. They installed many temporary one tonne sandbags in order to protect the boardwalk, which has now washed away.

When I was a Deputy and Minister for Health I met with residents and the then Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, Brian Hayes. Following on from the meeting an allocation of €200,000 was approved for The Burrow in Portrane under a national plan to deal with flood risk and damage. Nothing practical or real has happened since then. Reports have been written but real action to deal with the serious threats seems to be at a stalemate. I regret to say the only wall that cannot seem to be breached at The Burrow in Portrane is the wall of red tape stopping local residents from getting fair treatment and works to protect their homes.

The local residents' committee hears of flood defence works being approved at other locations and cannot understand why The Burrow in Portrane cannot get similar funding and works carried out to deal with the threat to their homes from the sea. Ray Brett, who the Minister of State met recently on his visit to The Burrow, explained to him that €1 million was approved and spent in Lahinch on a similar sensitive habitat area and is asking that such a scheme would be considered for The Burrow in Portrane. The installation of a membrane dug down 6 m and backfilled to protect the toe and sand dunes seems an environmentally practical solution, which was approved and has been proven in Lahinch.

In 2015 Fingal County Council advised a local Portrane family to evacuate their home. I am sure the Minister of State would acknowledge that is a very serious matter. I ask him, in a positive manner, to try to progress a solution. I know the Minister of State wants to do that. The issue requires a permanent solution. Has Fingal County Council contacted him or the Department since his visit to The Burrow in Portrane on 21 February, two weeks ago? In order to bring some sort of finality or deadline to the issue could I suggest or encourage the Minister of State to write to the council CEO, Paul Reid, and ask Fingal County Council to produce a plan for consideration by his officials within four weeks. I suggest that in one week or two weeks following that, the Department would facilitate a round-table meeting with officials from the OPW, the National Parks & Wildlife Service, Fingal County Council and three members of the Fingal coastal erosion committee in order to agree an acceptable plan that could be considered for approval by the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, in his capacity as Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW.

If action is not taken homes will be flooded and under threat, roads will be flooded and the natural habitat and dunes we all want to protect will be gone. It is time to knock heads together, which I know the Minister of State wants to do. As a practical man who has dealt with such issues as a public representative, I hope he will agree to setting up this process and arrive at a solution, which I am told he is anxious to fund.Can I plead that the residents not be subjected to another winter of inaction and uncertainty in regard to the safety of their homes?