Gabrielle McFadden (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Curim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I do not need to highlight the importance of a planned and systematic approach to the problem of flooding. The Minister of State, Deputy Moran, joined us in helping out in my wonderful home town of Athlone when the floods struck and saw for himself the trauma and heartache arising out of the damage caused. I welcomed the allocation in 2015 by the then Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Deputy Harris, of €430 million for a six-year programme of capital investment, which effectively amounted to a doubling of annual expenditure on flood defence measures. I called at the time for some of that funding to be spent in the Athlone area. The Office of Public Works and local authorities have done good work in recent years and the programme is beginning to bear fruit as we see work progressing on flood defences and flood risk alleviation. I hope to see similar progress in the Athlone area on cleaning out the cut at Meelick and reassessing the level of Lough Ree, which was raised in the 1970s for navigation purposes. Given changing weather patterns, we cannot guarantee to protect every community from future flooding, but we should be in a position to respond to any flooding that does occur in a more efficient and appropriate manner.

Following the general election, I made two specific requests of the then Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny. First, I asked that we have a Minister of State with special responsibility for dealing with flooding. My second request was that this Minister of State should set up a single agency to provide a co-ordinated response to flooding and take responsibility for the River Shannon. When the Government was formed, I was delighted to see the Taoiseach accept my suggestion of appointing a dedicated Minister of State. Eighteen months later, however, I see no progress on the establishment of a specialist co-ordinating agency to manage our flood response or the appointment of one person or agency with responsibility for the Shannon river. These are key priorities which should have been delivered by now. This time last year, the interim report to Government of the interdepartmental flood policy co-ordination group recommended the establishment of an independent oversight unit within the OPW to ensure an effective flood response. Following the Minister of State's experience of the flooding in Donegal, I heard him concede that such a unit was necessary. Why has it not yet been established? We can see from the events of last week the benefits of having a co-ordinated and cross-agency emergency response. In the case of flooding, a similar approach should be taken. In particular, we must help people whose houses become uninhabitable and farmers whose stock is lost or stranded. One winter has passed and a second is on its way since the interdepartmental group presented its recommendation. What will be different about the response of State agencies if Athlone is flooded again? What concrete actions has the Minister of State taken to set up a unit to ensure we respond more quickly and appropriately to flooding events? Is there any one person or agency holding responsibility for the River Shannon?

Among other things, the then Minister of State, Deputy Harris, can look back on his time at the OPW and point to the negotiation of a doubling of funding for flood relief as part of his legacy. What will the current Minister of State's legacy be when he leaves the Department? Will he be remembered as the person who oversaw the plans put in place by others? Will he do something practical to help those who are victims of flooding, an effort to which I know he is deeply committed? We cannot guarantee that there will never again be flooding in this country, but we must be able to guarantee that our response to any flooding that does occur is the best response possible. The ball is in the Minister of State's court.