I remind the Minister that two speakers are to come after her.

We are way over time.

I am afraid Deputy Feighan has ten seconds.

I understand that, but you will have to speak to your colleagues. I will do my best to give you some latitude.

Go raibh maith agat.

In one minute and 40 seconds, I cannot do justice to this topic. My empathy, thoughts and prayers are with the two people, the five-year-old girl and the teacher, who are still in hospital. I express my gratitude in respect of what happened on Thursday to the ambulancemen, the fire brigade team, the people from the hospital and the ordinary gardaí on the ground. I was driving to Achill and listened to every programme. It seems that only Garda management could have been unaware of what was building. It was not refer…

Bogfaimid ar aghaidh le gnó-----

Tá a fhios agam ach tá mé ag iarraidh teachtaireacht a thabhairt chuig an Dáil. The Minister of State will have time to catch his breath. The Select Committee on Justice has completed its consideration of the Criminal Justice (Engagement of Children in Criminal Activity) Bill 2023, and has made no amendments thereto.

The Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence has completed its consideration of the following Supplementary Estimates for public services for the service of the year ending 31 December 2023: Votes 27 and 28. The Select Committee on Justice has completed its consideration of the following Supplementary Estimates for public services for the service of the year ending 31 December 2023: Votes 20, 21, 22 and 24. The Select Committee on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has completed its consid…

I thank Sinn Féin for this motion which follows on from a motion I introduced on 25 October. I do not disagree with anything Sinn Féin has set out in the motion, which gives the history back to the Lisbon treaty. It actually goes way back before that. With the Single European Act in 1987, because there were serious concerns about the erosion of our neutrality way back then, Ireland's long-established policy of military neutrality was lodged along with the Single European Act. In 1992 the Maastricht treaty specifica…

This is something I am following up and it has been given particular urgency after the flooding in Galway. I know the Minister of State was down in Galway and I am sure he will tell us about it. Specifically, I seek an update on the status of the review by the Coirib go Cósta steering group of the draft revised programme for the Coirib go Cósta flood relief schemes; the timeline for the publication of the revised project programme; and if the Minister of State will make a statement on the matter.

I thank the Minister of State for coming to Galway. I was chairing the Dáil that day at 2 p.m. and there was no way out of that. I have followed up this matter. The flood plans were drawn up in 2012. Following that, a programme of works were to be carried out. We are still in stage 1, which started in 2020. There has been one consultation in that time. There has been no update on the website in the past year. I want to work with the Minister of State and explain the position to my constituents in Galway. I live in …

As a councillor at the time, I and others knew that a one in 100-year event was being looked at. We knew that was madness and we were not experts. In addition, we have been given so many deadlines that have been missed. I realise the complexity of the work but it is difficult to have trust when the website is not updated and reasons are not given. Councillors should be updated as a matter of course at council level and, separately, the TDs for the area. In January 2023, I was given a date of the first quarter of 20…

There is a disconnect.

I appreciate the Minister of State answered some of this question earlier on but I welcome the opportunity to tease things out. There are five stages. This was all set out to me over the years. On stage one, the options assessment began in late 2020. Then it will move up to stage five for handover in 2029. Where are we at in that process? I welcome that Storm Debi has been taken into account but we had a huge flood in 2018. People in the Claddagh and everywhere were affected. In addition, Oranmore and Clarinbridge …

There is a certain frustration on my part because I have borne with the process for a long time. The Minister of State referred to the fact that, following the completion of the hydrological and hydraulic modelling, significantly more defences were necessary. That was way back in January 2023. We knew this even before Storm Debi and before that again because there was major flooding in 2018 and in between. The lack of skills was never mentioned, the Minister of State will agree, in any reply to date. That is a new …

The Minister will get a chance to come back in.

The Minister will get a chance to come back in.

I thank the Minister. We are over time.

The Select Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands has completed its consideration of the following Supplementary Estimates for public services for the year ending 31 December 2023: Votes 37 and 42. The Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine has completed its consideration of the following Supplementary Estimate for public services for the service of the year ending 31 December 2023: Vote 30.