Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Senator Currie spoke about the remote working hubs, how important they are and the recent Government announcement regarding extra funding for those hubs, which is very welcome. They are going to be very important to all parts of the country, particularly rural Ireland. There are approximately 200 hubs in place, with a plan to increase that number to over 400 within the next two years. That is really good news.

The other good news is the announcement today by the Government of €7 million in support for the pig industry. There are 8,500 people employed in that industry. Not that long ago, pig farmers were doing very well but now they have hit on hard times. I welcome that the Minister and the Government have stepped in again. There are 1.6 million pigs, 300 pig farmers and 8,500 people employed in this industry. I hope the funding announced by Government will be of assistance to all of those people.

I want now to return to an issue that is discussed here year in, year out, that is, flooding along the River Shannon. I have been speaking to people who live in the Callows area. I am told that at this stage thousands of acres are flooded, some of the side roads are blocked such that people have to make round trips or cannot get out and that water levels have risen by almost five inches in the past 48 hours. We are heading into a crisis there. I hope that the weather is going to improve somewhat. It has been horrible over the past number of days, particularly in the west and the midlands. In that regard, I ask that the Leader would ask the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, who has responsibility for this area to come to the House to update Members on progress made. This Government and previous Governments have been very committed to flood relief. A significant amount of money is there but we need an update in regard to where we are going. I am aware that improvements are being made but this is a really bad time for farmers along the River Shannon.