Joanne Collins (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Flooding is no longer an occasional crisis. It is an ever-present threat affecting lives, homes and livelihoods throughout the country. From County Limerick to County Cork and from County Galway to the midlands, communities are living in fear of the next storm, the next flood warning or the next disaster. We saw this again just a few months ago when Storm Bert battered the country. In west Limerick, the River Feale burst its banks, submerging roads, homes, and entire sports facilities. Abbeyfeale United Football Club and the field of the local GAA club, Fr. Casey's, were wiped out in a matter of hours. In Newcastle West and right across rural Limerick, people again watched floodwaters rise, with dread, in their homes.

Storm Bert did not just hit Limerick. From Clonmel to Midleton, homes were destroyed, businesses wrecked and families displaced. Clean-up bills run into the millions but the human cost is immeasurable and, for many, it is the second or third time in just a few years. This is not unprecedented. It is not new and is not an act of God. It is the consequence of decades of underinvestment, slow-moving bureaucracy and a State response that has failed to match the urgency of the crisis.

Let us be honest: much of Ireland’s development has occurred on floodplains. Places such as Shannon and many other towns throughout the country are built where water naturally wants to go. With rising sea levels, more frequent extreme weather events and ageing infrastructure, the risk is only growing. The Government’s catchment flood risk assessment and management plans identified more than 100 areas at significant flood risk. Identifying risk is one thing but delivering action is another. For example, the Limerick city and environs flood relief scheme, launched in 2021, is vital and welcome, but the pace is glacial. It involves planning, environmental assessments, design consultation and then - eventually - procurement. Too often, by the time a scheme moves to construction, another flood has already come and gone. This is where the State is falling down: the procurement process.

We all know flood relief schemes are complex and need proper oversight, but the sheer length of time it takes to go from planning to procurement to completion is unacceptable. Years can pass between identifying a solution and breaking ground. Communities are expected to live with rising risk while being stuck behind red tape. The upcoming review of public procurement rules and policy is an opportunity to change this but, let us be honest, it is long overdue. If it does not address the length and rigidity of the current process for delivering crucial and critical infrastructure such as flood defences, then it will have failed. We cannot allow vital projects to be delayed because of bureaucracy. We need streamlined processes, faster decision-making and stronger accountability for delivery. We need to move from caution to action because lives and livelihoods are quite literally on the line.

Communities have shown incredible resilience but resilience should never be a substitute for investment. People deserve more than sandbags and sympathy. They deserve leadership. They deserve infrastructure that protects them. They deserve a Government that acts before and not after the damage is done. This is not just about flood defences. It is about climate adaption, public safety and justice. It is about recognising that what was once exceptional is now the norm and responding accordingly.