Mar Aire Stáit don Ghaeilge agus don Ghaeltacht, fáiltím roimh an deis labhairt sa Dáil le linn Seachtain na Gaeilge faoi chúrsaí Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta. Is pribhléid dúinn é sa tír seo go bhfuil ár dteanga dúchais againn. Mar a deir an tAire, an Teachta Martin, tá mórán scéimeanna á riar ag ár Roinn ar son cur chun cinn na Gaeilge. Ina measc sin, tá scéimeanna i réimse na pleanála teanga, réimse oideachais an teaghlaigh agus réimse na n-ealaíon. Tá gach scéim tábhachtach, agus iad uile ag brath ar a chéile le cin…

Gabhaim buíochas leis na Teachtaí a ghlac páirt sa díospóireacht. Is mian liom freagra a thabhairt ar pointe nó dhó. Ar an gcéad dul sios, beidh mo Roinn ag cur thart ar €500,000 breise ar fáil i mbliana ar mhaithe le scoláireachtaí breise a chur ar fáil do dhaltaí scoil a fhreastalaíonn ar na cúrsaí samhraidh atá fíorthábhachtach do na ceantair Ghaeltachta. Luaigh na Teachtaí Doherty agus Connolly cúrsaí tithíochta sa Ghaeltacht. Bhí cruinniú ag oifigigh mo Roinne leis an ngrúpa Bánú le déanaí chun an cheist seo a…

This question refers to the amount spent on flood defence schemes in each of the past ten years. That is the question I propose to answer. The Office of Public Works, OPW, as the lead agency for flood risk management, is co-ordinating the delivery of measures towards meeting the Government's national flood risk policy. In 2018, to establish those communities that are at risk from significant flood events, the OPW completed the largest study of flood risk ever undertaken by the State, namely, the catchment flood ris…

There is a substantive question on Midleton on the Order Paper that I will address presently. What the Deputy said about jobs not being started is not true and he should correct the record of the Dáil. Up to five major schemes are expected to commence construction in 2024. Yesterday, I was in my native city of Limerick giving consent to Limerick City and County Council to proceed to tender on the King's Island flood relief scheme, which will protect 528 properties. It is a long-awaited scheme. The scheme for Morris…

As I said, I propose to answer a substantive question on Midleton later. The Deputy raised this issue at the Estimates meeting last week. I asked whether he, as the leader of his party, had any engagement with Cork County Council. I think his answer was "No". If he had such engagement, he would know his assertion here is totally unfair, particularly to the engineering staff of Cork County Council and to my own engineering staff, who are committed to working on a scheme. I know the Deputy is trying to create a narra…

I did not interrupt the Deputy. He knows and I know that this is a completely false narrative and is grossly unfair to the people working on the project. Regarding the humanitarian assistance programme, I thank the Ministers, Deputies Coveney and Humphreys, for responding so positively, not only in Midleton but in Louth as well. I presume the Deputy raised this matter five minutes ago with the Minister, Deputy Coveney, who is the Minister dealing with it.

I thank Deputy Nolan. I know she has a strong interest in this and she has raised it on a number of occasions with me. In 2016, the Government established the Shannon flood risk State agency co-ordination working group to improve co-ordination on flood risk management between all State agencies involved with the river. The group, which is chaired by the Office of Public Works, provides a forum where all the organisations with roles and responsibilities that involve the River Shannon catchment can further monitor an…

I acknowledge the constructive way in which Deputy Nolan has approached this. We spend an awful lot of time on the matter of the Shannon in the Department. The United States Army Corps of Engineers could not find a solution to this. The de Valera Government in the 1940s was bedevilled with it. Everybody else has looked at it as well. This will not be fixed easily. A number of agencies have responsibility. The Shannon is an important tourist asset and navigation asset. We derive much electricity from it. It has a fi…

Waterways Ireland, as I said the last time, is the lead agency on this. That complicates it as well. Waterways Ireland is a cross-Border body. We are delighted that the Northern institutions are established. We analysed the powers that the agencies have. Some of them are derived from agreements that are enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement. It is not simply about creating a HSE for the Shannon and having the water go away. That is overly simplistic. Deputy Nolan knows from living in that area what the farmers, th…

More and more.

I will not read into the record the start of the response because I have done so three times already today. I will skip that and I ask that it be put on the record. The OPW will reach a series of important milestones in climate adaptation in 2024, such as: continuing the construction of three major schemes at Glashaboy in the Deputy’s constituency, Morell River and Whitechurch; commencing construction on up to five other schemes at King’s Island, Morrison’s Island in Cork, Crossmolina, about which there has been a …

With regard to those that are currently active, there are 67 major flood schemes and 29 small schemes. These are being led by the local authorities in most cases. There are currently six at construction and these will provide protection for up to 870 properties. We have also initiated a pilot scheme between the Office of Public Works, Donegal County Council and Kilkenny County Council. There was a suggestion that as some of the schemes in tranche 2 are so slow coming out of it, there is a question as to whether the…

The opportunity for people to raise these issues on the floor of the Dáil is very important to me and the Office of Public Works. In recent years, we have been at pains to point out that these are not just flood relief schemes, as they were typically called, and they are an adaptation to El Niño and the climate issues that are currently being faced by the world and not only by Glashaboy, Coirib go Cósta and everywhere else. These are schemes designed to withstand 100-year events and have the international standard …

On my behalf and on that of my family and the Fine Gael organisation in County Limerick, I offer sympathy to Finola Bruton, John's children, his sister Mary and our colleague Richard. I was struck by Deputy Creed's commentary about the torment our parliamentary party put John Bruton through. I joined Fine Gael in the early 1990s, along with people like Deputy Phelan, the Taoiseach, Deputy Denis Naughten and a few others. At a conference in UCD one time, John Bruton said to us "Cause me difficulty", and, by God, we …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle agus leis an Teachta. Mar is eol don Teachta, tá an-chuid oibre déanta ag an Roinn agus ag Comhchoiste na Gaeilge, na Gaeltachta agus Phobal Labhartha na Gaeilge ar an ábhar sin agus, go háirithe freisin, ina measc, leis an údarás féin chun na toghcháin a thabhairt ar ais arís. Tá sé socraithe ag an Rialtas go mbeidh na toghcháin ar siúl in 2024 ach ba chóir dom dul ar ais go dtí an Rialtas go luath maidir leis na ceannteidil don Bhille sin. Beidh mé ar ais arís ag an gcois…

"If she won't resign, he needs to take her out." Those are the words of a Member of the Front Bench of a party that claims it wants to be in government after the next election. It is well the Deputy hangs her head in shame this evening with words like that. If a male Member of this House said that about a woman in this House, he would be gone. More shame on Deputy McDonald for tolerating that sort of behaviour on her Front Bench, the threatening language used against a woman Minister for Justice who has given her l…

They were fairly isolated in Adare - Jerry McCabe and Ben O'Sullivan.

Riddled on the side of the street.

How many have you put into graveyards?

You did anyway.