I ask the Minister for Education and Youth, further to Parliamentary Question No. 211 of 12 February 2026, the progress made to date in ensuring the use of a green area by schools at Carrigtwohill School campus and if she will make a statement on the matter.

I thank the Minister for her response. I thank her and her Department officials for recently meeting councillor Anthony Barry, Rory Cocking and me to discuss this matter. It is encouraging to hear at first hand from the Department that the expectation remains that access to the green area will be granted to all campus schools for recreational purposes. Entrance and access works to the green area have been approved, as the Minister said, by Cork County Council, but these works have yet to be completed. We are now ne…

I thank the Minister for her positive response. It is good to hear that work will be undertaken as soon as the scope of work and cost is in. This is an easy win for all concerned. The green area is a flood attenuation area that is currently locked and lying idle despite being approved. It would make perfect sense that students of all ages would be able to benefit from the use of such a large green area close to their schools. There will be no pitch markings or changes of any description, just a green area that will…

I wish to raise again the issue of low water pressure in the village of Ballyhooly in my constituency, Cork East. I have spoken on several occasions in this Chamber about the need to repair and upgrade the water network serving Ballyhooly because daily disruptions to water supply have persisted for years. Low water pressure in certain areas of Ballyhooly continues to disrupt daily household practices and this only gets worse as we approach the summer months. While some repairs are being conducted by Uisce Éireann, …

Like the previous speaker, I also wish Ireland well tonight and hope we will be in the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday night for the next stage of it. With the Leas-Cheann Comhairle's indulgence, I will also welcome a school to the Visitor's Gallery today. The school is in my own constituency of Cork East, the national school in Coolagown, and I welcome the pupils and teachers who are there today. I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the progress made to date by her Departmen…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I thank the Ministers for their hard work and dedication in the area that is of major importance to Ireland. The diaspora across the globe represents the very best of our country on a community, cultural, business and sporting basis. I acknowledge that the ESP is a very important support for Irish diaspora groups and has proven to be enormously popular. Almost 600 applications were received before the ESP deadline in early February. With that in mind, I ask the Minist…

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. He is a rugby man himself but as my colleague Deputy Neville said, the GAA is very important. What is the Department doing to promote the GAA overseas? How much money has been allocated to this in recent years? Finally, we have a very important statue in Midleton in my constituency of Cork East, which is the Kindred Spirits monument. This represents a donation by the Choctaw Nation to the people of Ireland during the Great Famine. It is a fantastic monument that showcase…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for selecting this Topical Issue. I raise the very important matter of ambulance service provision in the wider east Cork area. East Cork is a huge area with an ever-increasing population but, unfortunately, the current ambulance service appears inadequate to meet the demands placed on it. I have received numerous reports of long waits for ambulances and medical attention in the aftermath of medical emergencies. This has prompted me to raise the matter as a Topical Issue. I have…

I thank the Minister of State for her very detailed response. I acknowledge the investment in the ambulance service in the area. While I appreciate the work the Department of Health and HSE are doing to ensure increased service provision, I remain adamant that east Cork requires further attention. With this in mind, can the Minister of State outline where exactly ambulance services in east Cork are currently based? I welcome the fact a centre will be established in east Cork with Midleton as a possible destination.…

I raise the matter of the Fermoy Weir in my constituency of Cork East. As the Taoiseach is no doubt aware, the Fermoy Weir sustained flood damage almost a decade ago, with the increased flow through the breach eroding a section of the structure. The weir is a protected structure and a very important part of Fermoy town. Planning permission for remedial works and the installation of a fish bypass was approved in February 2024. Cork County Council is sourcing funding to commence these works. Given the importance of t…

The cost is €6 million and the council is willing to pay €3 million.

Yes.

I thank the Minister for his response. Proposals to prime agricultural land for renewable energy proposals have become common in recent years. Rural communities such as those in my constituency of Cork East are seeing acreage that long provided quality food produce being changed to acres of solar panels in a very short period. Development permission for up to 40 years sees traditional rural communities transformed for decades on the basis of one application. I appreciate that an increased provision of renewable ene…

I thank the Minister again for his response. I note the work of the accelerating renewable electricity task force and its engagement with local authorities on the matter. I also appreciate that a public consultation invited submissions between September and October last year regarding national territory mapping under the EU renewable energy directive. Was there an appetite for such land classification as part of this process? How far is this process advanced in finalising national territory mapping?

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I know he is acutely aware of the impact of damage caused by flooding and the lack of insurance cover thereafter. My constituency of Cork East, particularly Castlemartyr, Killeagh, Mogeely, Midleton, Rathcormac and Whitegate, suffered extensive flood damage caused by Storm Babet in October 2023. Flood relief schemes and protection measures are progressing but they remain years away from completion. An individual property protection scheme to provide flood protection b…

I thank the Minister of State for his positive response. As a result of a lack of flood insurance, residents are fearful of further damage to their homes or businesses whenever bad weather is forecast. Has the possibility of a flood insurance cover scheme to underwrite flood risk been explored? Similar reassurance schemes exist in other jurisdictions such as Flood Re in the UK. Is the Minister of State of the opinion that such a scheme could be implemented here? My home town of Fermoy has had flood protection, than…

Nearly 24 years ago, the site of the former Fitzgerald camp Army barracks in Fermoy in my constituency of Cork East was handed over to the IDA. Unfortunately, it has remained idle since, with no formal applications to operate on the site received in the last five years. This is despite the fact that this is a serviced site in a prime location only five minutes from the Cork to Dublin M8 motorway. I am sure the Taoiseach will agree that the development of such a site would be an enormous boost for the businesses in …

I ask the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation what progress has been made to date with respect to the Midleton flood relief scheme and the introduction of flood protection measures in Rathcormac, Castlemartyr, Mogeely and Killeagh in east Cork, and if he will please make a statement on the matter.

I acknowledge the work the Minister of State has done so far and his visits to these areas already. I acknowledge that and thank him. On 18 October 2023, Storm Babet flooded roughly 600 homes and 300 businesses in east Cork, with damages estimated at almost €200 million. The storm on 9 December of this year showed again that people in east Cork feel genuine fear every time a severe weather warning is issued. These storms are not slowing down, yet the Midleton flood relief scheme is still not expected to reach plann…

I again thank the Minister of State for his response and the reassurance that he will visit Midleton in 2026. I think that is very important for the people of Midleton and the whole of east Cork affected by this. While long-term schemes are being developed, the communities affected are looking for reassurance in the short term. These towns have already endured repeated flooding events and are facing another winter feeling unprotected. Could the Minister of State outline what interim measures are being put in place …