James Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I am sure he shares my frustration and that of the residents that funding of €67,000 has been drawn down in order to have a study completed. The study has been done, but no action has been taken. People are living in fear of their homes. There is a risk that if flooding occurs and defences are breached, it will affect low-lying land, cut off a large area of recreation and separate 20 or 30 houses from the rest of the peninsula.

I am glad the Minister of State mentioned Rush because there is erosion on that beach. I live in the area and I see the changes on a daily basis. I plead with the Minister of State to help me to put pressure on to make sure we get a result.We have spent the money on the studies. There is no more time now for further vacillation; we need action. While I accept there is a need for an overall approach to coastal erosion, it is not going to be sufficient to say to the people in Portrane and, to a lesser extent, those in Rush, that we should wait for a country-wide coastal study before any action is taken. The members of one family, in particular, are in fear that their house will fall into the sea. We do not want that on our conscience.