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No, I am not.

Lough Funshinagh is a designated special area of conservation turlough and has experienced increasingly severe flooding in recent years. Roscommon County Council has implemented temporary flood defences, including road raising and water level management. The council is being supported by an expert working group comprising representatives from the Office of Public Works, OPW, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Geological Survey Ireland. The group has concluded that the lough is not draining as it used to an…

I will come back in.

I acknowledge and appreciate all the work that has been done, particularly by the people and those in the farming community who live around Lough Funshinagh. It was great to go down there to switch on the pumps. It is great now to see the work on the interim solution coming to fruition, particularly as I was involved with the work on it when I was in government previously. The long-term solution is on target for planning by the end of the year. As the Deputy knows, we had a consultation day in County Roscommon, whi…

I appreciate everything the Deputy said. She is on the ground and knows exactly what she is talking about. She knows more than those of us who are in government. The pressure came from the Taoiseach to the Tánaiste right down to every Minister who had a role in this. As I said, delivering the scheme is important. I do not know if the Deputy had time to go and visit, but the day we turned on the pumps, it was great to see the local farming community and particularly the people who had suffered most - the families wh…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 9 together. The launch in 2018 of the flood risk management plans trebled, to some 100, the number of flood relief schemes at design and construction. There remain some 50 schemes, referred to as tranche II, yet to commence work on their design, due to constraints of professional engineering services and skills in Ireland. However, the Government is committed to funding these projects through the €1.3 billion available under the national development plan for flood relief measu…

I thank the Deputy. The Taoiseach and I visited Midleton and met the people there. I always say in the House that from start to finish, a scheme takes 11 years. It is very hard for people to accept this, particularly when their houses and businesses have been flooded. I understand well the areas in Midleton and the pressures on them. With regard to the other areas in question, I am making changes to the minor works scheme and looking at other areas where we can provide funding to the local authority to help to try …

I thank Deputy McCarthy. I know the pressures he is under as an elected representative, as is everyone in this House. I was in this role before and I know the run of the Department but there are still constraints that do not allow us to deliver the schemes as fast as humanly possible. In regard to Lough Funshinagh, when we went into try to do the work there, we had not dotted our i's or crossed our t's and we ended up with judicial reviews which held back the project for a number of years. We are now in a good plac…

I will have to go back to the Minister with all these requests.

I gave a detailed response earlier, but I fully appreciate and understand clearly where the Deputy is coming from. As I said to Deputy McCarthy, this is an area I am looking at. Ministers and Ministers of State have visited the area, including me. I know how important tranche 2 is, but I also know how important tranche 1 is. There are the bigger schemes we are delivering across the country, but, regarding tranche 2, some of the smaller schemes are being caught up and left behind. This is frustrating for the Deputy …

I thank the Deputy. Rathfarnham Castle was built in 1583 and throughout its long and rich history has been owned by Archbishop Adam Loftus, the founder of Trinity College; Speaker Conolly; and the Jesuit Order. The castle is one of Ireland's oldest Elizabethan houses. For most of the 20th century, the castle was owned and occupied by the Jesuits. It was declared a national monument and purchased by the State in 1987. The OPW is responsible for the care and management of Rathfarnham Castle while the lands are manage…

To be honest, I cannot say. However, I visited the castle a number of weeks ago and saw at first hand exactly the damage caused. I will take back with me that the Deputy got a response that it would be done in 2025 and revert to him in writing. I will pursue it because I fell in love with the castle when I went there. It is a fabulous facility.

In defence of why it did not happen in 2025, and as I said in my report, it is due to weather. The type of material we use to do with the castle is all down to weather. If we do not get the weather, we cannot do it.

I am not trying to cover for why it was not done but I know it is seasonal.

I have this right around the country where people, such as the Deputy, raise the question, but in defence of my Department, I have to say we have a very small window in which to do it. I will come back to the Deputy in writing to give it more flesh.

The Deputy has raised this in the committee and here in the House. As I said to him, a judicial review held up that whole scheme. We got consent and were ready to go, and then came the judicial review. Once it comes through the planning process, we will be on the ground. As I explained to the Deputy, I am working extremely hard to try to do this. He can play a part by going to talk to the people who bring these objections to see if we have done everything required so that, when it comes out, we are not faced with a…

The OPW and Clare County Council have an extensive programme of flood risk management works across Clare during 2025. Clare County Council is currently leading the delivery of flood relief schemes in County Clare in the townlands of Springfield, Kilkee and Shannon, Bunratty and Kilrush. These schemes are funded by the OPW from the Government's €1.3 billion investment in flood measures under the national development plan to 2030. Construction of the €5.2 million Springfield flood relief scheme to protect 21 properti…

I could not agree more. As the Deputy said, there is a lot of good and positive stuff happening in County Clare. The Department is working closely with the local authority on the local drainage scheme and it is supported by the Government, which is very important. I am looking closely at the issue the Deputy spoke about. I am looking at vegetation clearing, getting into the rivers and working with the local authorities. I hope to have good news on that in the near future. I have been working closely with local auth…

I could not agree more with the Deputy on insurance. My job is to protect communities up and down the country. My officials and I hope to meet the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, on this. The Government is very much focused on this issue and we understand it. I get it, the same as the Deputy gets it. I get requests to write letters of comfort as well and I wonder what it is all about. My Department has spoken with the Minister of State's Department. We are working closely on this to see if we can deliver something.