Paul Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I, too, welcome the Minister of State. On a personal note, as this is my first one-to-one engagement with him since our last engagement in the chamber in Mullingar a mere two years ago, I congratulate him on his elevation to ministerial office in that short period. Unfortunately, that is where the plaudits end. I know his background. He is very passionate about this issue which he has dealt with locally. As someone who lives on the banks of the River Shannon and is an able and eager fisherman, he is more aware than many of the problems experienced. He inherited his role, as well as many of the issues about which I have a gripe, but I would like to see improvements in the future.

The major issue is the underspend. We were promised an allocation of €45 million per annum between 2011 and 2017 for the provision of flood defences. To date, there has been an underspend of €53 million. In the national development plan for the period 2018 to 2027 the predicted spend has been increased to €100 million per annum. I hope this does not mean there will be an equivalent increase in the underspend in the area within the Minister of State's remit.

The provision of an effective national flood warning system is at least five years down the line, which is not acceptable in the light of current circumstances. Flooding issues seem to recur daily. I will not get into the debate on climate change, but flooding seems to be occurring more frequently.

Flood defences and warning systems aside, the main issue remains the insurance industry which is cherry-picking customers. Quotations and refusals even to give people a quote are based on catchment flood risk assessment and management, CFRAM, studies and areas that flooded previously. Fianna Fáil's Flood Insurance Bill 2016 would address these issues, but it is being stymied by the Government's refusal to issue a money message. If the Government is not going to do something about the issue, why is it stopping us from trying to do something positive?

I may not be happy with the amount of work done, given how much more needs to be done, but insurance companies are not even recognising the great work that has been done. The Minister of State's predecessor, Deputy Seán Canney, agreed that, although a €140 million flood investment programme was in operation in Cork, the insurance companies would not cover properties in the area once the work had been completed. This issue has to be addressed immediately.

It has been proved that a €280 million spend on flood defences will result in a net saving of €1.2 billion once the work is completed. In some cases work is not being done quickly enough because of planning delays. The Government needs to get the local authorities on side in the affected areas. This is a major issue.

I am informed that there have been 107 applicants under the voluntary homeowners relocation scheme, 26 of whom have been told that they do not qualify, while only eight have been approved.Where are the other 73 people? I would like to hear that from the Minister of State. What is their current status? They are in limbo. People had to do a great deal of soul searching before they even agreed to apply for this scheme. For a person to move from his or her home where that person was probably born and lived all his or her life is a serious and difficult decision for anyone to make, but having made that decision and submitted the application, only eight out of 107 applications have been approved. I accept that the 26 who have not been approved know where they stand, but there are 73 people in limbo in this regard and I would like to know their current status. I would like to know also if the 26 people who have been told they do not qualify for relocation will be prioritised for remedial schemes. What is their current status?

I refer to the River Shannon which, as I said at the outset, I am aware is dear to the Minister of State's heart, but it should be the main focus of our attention. It is Ireland's first and foremost river. It rises in the Shannon Pot, in County Cavan, and continues for approximately 360 km until it disgorges its waste into the Atlantic Ocean at Clare, Kerry and Limerick. Fianna Fáil, building on the recommendations of a 2021 report by the then Joint Committee on the Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht, advocates a single agency to cut through the bureaucratic layers. I almost addressed the Minister of State as "Boxer". I was thinking of the chamber in Mullingar again. How long were we discussing this issue at that level? Westmeath and the Minister of State's home town, Athlone, form an integral site on the Shannon.

The current Shannon flood risk State agency co-ordination working group simply reconstitutes a non-statutory body that Fine Gael abolished in 1994. What is needed is a legislative basis with real teeth to avoid bureaucratic delays and take whatever action is necessary to manage the Shannon.