Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Even though I do not always agree with Senator Keogan, and did not agree with some of her comments today, I am glad she has recovered and is back in the Chamber. It is good to see her back in full health again. I join other Members in extending our sympathies to the family of the Conservative MP Sir David Amess and also to the families of Brendan Kennelly and Máire Mhac an tSaoi.

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, that is, that No. 20 be taken before No. 1. During my term in Dáil Éireann, I produced a Bill on flooding along the River Shannon. I am reintroducing it as the Electricity (Supply) (Amendment) Bill 2021. The scourge of flooding over many years, particularly along the basin of the River Shannon, has not been properly addressed by politicians in this country. We all attend the meetings, listen to the complaints, put on the wellies and walk the land that has been destroyed but, in reality, the time has come to truly deal with this issue. It can be dealt with in an environmentally friendly way, and this could take away a lot of the misery felt by people along the river. Everybody knows the pattern of rainfall has changed dramatically in recent years. The amount of rain that fell over two days years ago can now fall in two or three hours. This, in itself, has brought new and untold problems to many families. Businesses have been wiped out and farms have been destroyed. People's mental health has suffered drastically over flooding along the River Shannon. I hope that when the Bill is introduced, we will have a good debate on it and it will be supported. It is time that we got the necessary legislation through and dealt with what has been a terrible scourge, affecting mainly people in rural areas. I acknowledge, however, that flooding can hit many communities in Ireland nowadays.