That is unfair. You know I announced the scheme. Making a statement just for social media is wrong.

It is sending out the wrong message to the public.

I am grateful for the opportunity to come before the House today. Members have already heard about the important work being undertaken across government to address the issues raised in this debate. I welcome the opportunity to engage further with Members, particularly on the role of the Office of Public Works in managing flood risk in Ireland. First, I want to recognise the hardship and trauma caused by recent flooding. I have visited many of the affected areas and I understand the distress caused, not only by the …

I will not move on from it.

I thank Deputy Cahill for raising this important matter. I am very familiar with the coastal erosion and flooding issues in County Kerry, having visited twice this year. Coastal erosion and localised flooding issues are a matter, in the first instance, for every local authority to investigate and address. Local authorities can undertake these works with their own resources. In 2009, the Office of Public Works, OPW, introduced the minor flood mitigation works and coastal protection scheme. The purpose of the scheme …

I fully appreciate where the Deputy is coming from. When I visited Kerry, I saw this issue at first hand and I spoke to the residents who are badly affected by it. I have set out the changes I have brought about in the minor works scheme to go from €750,000 to €2 million. It is not about the money; it is about the local authorities coming up with a scheme. I encourage the Deputy, as I encouraged other Members yesterday in the House, to go back to his local authority. We are funding staff to the local authorities. W…

I thank the Deputy for the question. I have seen the footage on social media and a lot of people sent pictures to me of what happened in that area last week. He is right that there are interim solutions we brought forward, along with the changes to the minor works scheme. I say to every Deputy in the House that I need local authorities to work with me and my Department, and not come to the House to blame the OPW, although I am not saying the Deputy is doing that. The OPW feeds local authorities with the funding. Th…

I welcome the opportunity to provide an update to the Deputy on this important matter. In 2018, the flood risk management plans identified that 150 flood relief schemes are required to manage the significant risk from flooding. Since then, the OPW has trebled, to the sum of 100, the number of flood relief schemes at design, planning and construction. These are in the first tranche of the schemes and commencing work on the tranche 2 schemes is constrained by the availability of specialist engineering skills for desi…

No one knows more than me about Elm Park. I visited it in 2018 after the big flood. I know the pressure those families are under. I have also been in contact with those families. Since taking office, the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, and I met with the Minister, Deputy Browne. That was during the summer and, since then, we have moved to try to find a solution. However, the Deputy must understand it is not as simple as flicking a switch. We are working collectively and we want a resolution. I do not want people in E…

The Deputy reminds me of a man at a council meeting who is getting all the issues in together. I do not blame him for doing so when he gets the opportunity. Every time I stand up in the Dáil, I have Deputies, like Deputy Ward, asking me questions. They look to the Government and the OPW to deliver. I have made changes to the minor works scheme to increase the threshold from €750,000 to €1 million. I have notified the local authorities. I put it to the Deputy that he has control to go to his local authority and put …

I thank the Deputy. I understand the River Bride overtops its banks upstream and downstream of Crookstown bridge. Flow paths through properties cause flooding to some 23 properties and on local and regional roads. The road drainage is unable to discharge to the river during flood events. The 2014 Lee catchment flood risk assessment and management programme studied the flood risk at Crookstown and did not identify a viable major scheme to manage that risk. It recommended localised flood mitigation measures be progre…

As I outlined, my Department has fully supported the local authority. I identified and read out the amount of money that was given. It is working with the Department of Transport in trying to deliver further for the local authorities. We have made changes to the minor works scheme. We will work with the local authorities to see where and when we can help. We have always been open in relation to Crookstown and the area. We understand quite clearly the level of pressure the Deputy is under but particularly the reside…

We have given it all the resources it required in terms of staff not just for this area but all the areas. The Deputy is quite correct and I thank him for mentioning what we have done so far in the different areas he came to me about in respect of funding. We have made that available but in this particular one, it depends on the Department of Transport. There is no point in saying it does not. It is either that or it is the local authority's own funding. As I said, we have made changes to the minor works scheme and…

Across Cork, nine flood relief schemes are completed. The OPW is currently providing funding to Cork County Council for nine staff for the delivery of 15 additional flood relief schemes across the county, which are all funded by the Government’s commitment to support the delivery of flood relief schemes under the national development plan. Six of these are in tranche 1 schemes and are under way at this time, including Midleton. The Midleton flood relief scheme is due to be submitted by Cork County Council to An Coi…

If my wife hears I am going to Cork again, she will think I am either running for the election down there or I am having an affair. I will visit Midleton again because I am very keen to drive on the scheme. I have my Department working with the local authorities and the Deputies. As the Deputy knows, I have visited Midleton and nearly all the areas he mentioned. I have been down there twice and I am trying to drive on the scheme but the Midleton scheme is very complex. There are four different sources of flooding t…

Again, with regard to those areas mentioned, I changed the criteria in the minor works scheme, so it is up to the local authority now to look at interim measures. We have supplied it with nine staff so it is up to the local authority to look at those areas in question to see if we can help it to move on. In regard to Midleton, as the Deputy knows, we have done individual property protections, IPPs, and business protection. I know it is low but it is the biggest scheme we have ever taken on with regard to how many h…

The Athenry Dominican Priory is an important medieval monastic site and is a national monument in State care. The Office of Public Works, OPW, has statutory responsibility for its conservation, presentation and management. Protecting the fabric of this historically significant site while facilitating meaningful public access is a key priority for the OPW, and this balance guides all decisions around how the priory is operated. While the priory is closed to unsupervised access, it continues to be made available to t…

I agree with the Deputy in one sense but I would say that the OPW is very good and works very closely with all stakeholders in relation to the castle and the priory and all the other OPW sites. We promote all our sites very well. Last year alone, there were some 50 million visitors to OPW sites across the country, and no place more than the west of Ireland which got a lot of visitors. On the other hand, we have to supervise the priory. The Deputy knows the damage that has been caused. It would be a different situat…

As the Deputy outlined, it is important that all the stakeholders come together. Regarding anything that comes from the stakeholders, my Department has always reached out and been supportive. I will have to come back to the Deputy regarding the castle because it was not in the question. I am looking at the issue of sites that are not getting the numbers I would like to see them getting. I call these the smaller sites. I want to see if we can work in partnership with other tourism sectors, so we can deliver more num…

It was the first thing we agreed on this year.