Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an Aire Stáit go dtí an Teach seo inniu. The Minister of State is very welcome to the House and I thank him for taking this Commencement matter.

Unfortunately, we are all very aware of the problems caused by the increased incidence of flooding in many parts of this country in recent years. For those affected, flooding can have devastating implications for their lives, their income and, in many cases, their businesses. Climate change has considerable implications in terms of floods but we, as a State, must be equally prepared to deal with the consequences and work to prevent damage to property and harm to people.

We have a major flooding issue in the village of Donaghmoyne in south County Monaghan. As the Minister of State will know, County Monaghan is a drumlin county. Donaghmoyne is a picturesque village that is situated in a valley and is surrounded by hills in each direction that stretch up to 400 m. In general, the ground is of good quality and there is no water run-off from fields. However, when there are heavy downpours of rain, which may occur up to four to five times a year, there is horrendous flooding along sections of the local L4510 road. A large proportion of the catchment drain is an open drain but in various areas where it changes to a pipe section major problems occur and there is overflowing, which means that homes, slatted houses, farmyards and schools are flooded. There is also a major issue with the main line that passes through the village. Locals believe that they can identify obstructions such as pipe size, capacity and debris. They believe that the type of pipe used is obsolete and lacks structural integrity.

Apart from the effect of flooding on local homes and farms, the local school is severely affected. A manhole on the main pipeline lies within the boundary of the school. When the pipe overflows, teachers have no option but to close the play area in the interests of health and safety. During the last flood a number of weeks ago, parents had to drive up on to the footpath and the teachers, who wore wellingtons, had to carry the children into the school. On a previous occasion parents had to lift their children over a 6 ft graveyard wall to get them into school. It is clear that there is a need for an investigation and examination of the local topography combined with CCTV surveys, and mapping of the pipeline and drainage, to determine the reasons for the flooding and to find ways to alleviate the problem.

I understand that funding may be available under the climate adaption measures from Monaghan County Council. I hope the Minister of State can confirm that and suggest a way forward for the residents of Donaghmoyne who are at their wits' end worrying every time they see rain falling that they will go through all this trauma again. I look forward to hearing the Minister of State's response.