I am pleased to provide an update to the House on the progression of the River Glashaboy flood relief scheme at Glanmire and Sallybrook, Cork. This scheme was confirmed on 18 January 2021 by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform pursuant to section 7 of the Arterial Drainage Act 1945 and all other powers enabling him in that regard. The confirmation is subject to the conditions that were agreed to by the Commissioners for Public Works in Ireland, which is the approving authority for the scheme. The 12-week…

I do not have details on what has been paid out to date but I can obtain the follow-up information the Deputy has requested. On the Deputy's fear of further delays, I assure him that if it was up to us, we would be in Glanmire building this project. However, we have to go through statutory processes, including engagement with other State agencies. We also have to have regard to landowners. I pay tribute to the landowners, residents and neighbours with whom we have to engage to ensure that we do this appropriately, …

I will do that and bear the Deputy's point in mind. He and the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, know better than I do that the Irish name for Cork is Corcaigh, meaning marsh. It is no accident, therefore, that there are many issues confronting the OPW in the city. My priority is to focus on the victims of flooding. It is unfortunate that I am getting bogged down in a large number of processes which are adding not months or weeks, which Deputy O’Sullivan is worried about, but years. I am conscious that many of Depu…

I am advised by the Commissioners of Public Works that the Ballyvourney and Ballymakeera flood relief scheme is currently at outline design stage and the OPW is working to schedule a public exhibition for the scheme at the end of this year. The Deputy will be aware that the flood risk for this area is complex, as he has raised the matter a couple of times. In my previous role in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, when I responded on behalf of the previous Minister with responsibility for the OPW I had…

Deputy Moynihan will appreciate that a lot of time has been lost due to Covid. It has been extremely difficult for my officials and officials in Cork County Council, but we have done a lot of desktop studies and the environmental impact assessment report will be progressed in tandem. It takes into account a number of factors, including the presence of the Kerry slug in St. Gobnait's Wood, which is a special area of conservation. This is a new one for me. A site investigation was carried out in 2018. The Deputy will…

I provided background information to the House to explain why the scheme has been delayed for so long, in terms of all of the hurdles the OPW has had to jump through. Every time we hit a hurdle, whether it is the pearl mussel, the Kerry slug or any other species that we have to put a framework around and design protection for, all of that adds to delays. The reason I am articulating that is to drive home the fact that we always encounter delays, and the delays can be unexpected. We have objections and judicial revi…

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. I am pleased to provide an update on what is happening in Bantry. As the Senator says, I was down in Bantry and other parts of west Cork, which got a horrific doing of flooding during the summer. I thank the outdoor staff of Cork County Council, all the voluntary emergency staff, my outdoor officials at the Office of Public Works, OPW, and the engineering staff of the OPW and Cork County Council for all their efforts, not just during the summer but since then. Following …

I thank the Senator. I have a meeting with Cork County Council arranged for tomorrow. I will be meeting the engineering staff regarding what happened not only last August but also, coincidentally, last week. We will be discussing Bantry, Bandon, Skibbereen, Clonakilty, Fermoy, Mallow and other towns with schemes in the pipeline, such as Midleton. The Senator's colleague Senator Dooley will know from places such as Clonlara that the OPW often receives objections to schemes from people who live many miles away. When …

I welcome the opportunity to address the Seanad on the issue of flooding. Only two weeks ago, I was pleased to have had the opportunity to hear from Dáil colleagues on flooding matters on the Shannon and across the country and I outlined the Government’s ongoing work in tackling the issues. I am very familiar with the devastation that can be caused by flooding for individual homeowners, businesses, landowners and communities. Since my appointment as Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Wor…

I will start at the end. I thank Senator Cummins for acknowledging the work of the OPW staff. I have heard a lot of criticism of things that are not done. It is very important to point out the things that are done. It is particularly important to point out that during flooding, on nights when nobody wants to go out, local authority and OPW staff can be found working with the Defence Forces and local volunteers. Senators Murphy, Dooley and Kyne raised similar issues concerning the devastation caused by flooding. The…

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It is important to point out that we are dealing with a 25-year lease. From the very start, the OPW has said that a mistake was made. The OPW has never, to any degree, stated that it has not acknowledged that a mistake was made. It is important to put on the record of the House that the total amount in question of the difference, when calculated over a 25-year period, is €8.6 million. The VAT on top of that it would be €1.9 million. The OPW is anxious to point out that this is a 25-year lease. We estimate that the …

It is important to point out that the landlord has done nothing wrong here.

This was a mistake that was made on the State's side. The State has acknowledged that but it also acknowledges that this is a long-term lease and we are hopeful that, through negotiation, the liability to the State will be minimised. We have also acknowledged that it is a 25-year lease and there is no duty upon the landlord to come back to us at the moment. It is not a matter of negotiation. It is a matter of looking at this in the round of 25 years to see how we can come to an accommodation with our landlord. It i…

I am sorry but Deputy Shortall said my response was shocking. My response was factual.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 90 and 109 together. There is much work going on in Cork in this regard. I spent most of my summer, unfortunately, with flood victims there. The OPW has undertaken a study of 80% of Ireland’s major sources of flooding across 300 communities in the most comprehensive study of flood risk ever undertaken by the State. The findings from the catchment flood risk assessment and management programme, CFRAM, are set out in a series of flood risk management plans. These plans identify and de…

On the specifics of the schemes the Deputy identified, some of them are minor works which could be done by Cork County Council. I will get him more specific times on them. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan raised this issue in the previous Dáil. There was a long debate in the House last week on flooding with another in the Seanad tomorrow. I would like to be able to tell Deputy Aindrias Moynihan that we can fast-track places that have been flooded. Unfortunately, we cannot. My hands are tied by legislation outside of my con…

The three projects in question are under discussion between the OPW and Cork County Council. I will revert to the Deputy on each of them individually. I know the Crookstown one well. I have a brother and sister living in Bandon. Indeed my brother has been flooded on several occasions in Bandon, so I know the value of the flood relief scheme there. I also know the village of Crookstown has often been cut off by flooding. Flooding is getting worse. It is getting to a situation where many communities are now seeing it…

The OPW's engagement with the Cherrywood SDZ since the start of 2018 has been primarily focused on the measures to be taken in respect of protecting the Tully church national monument site and its associated crosses.  This engagement has been carried out in close partnership with the former Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, now the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. This is because that Department is the owner of Tully church on behalf of the State and the archaeological protecti…

I, again, thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I have been invited to Cherrywood. When the level 5 restrictions are lifted and we are allowed to take the opportunity to visit constituencies, particularly for non-essential work, it is my intention to visit the site. I am sure at that stage I will have a better understanding, along with my officials in the OPW, as to what is at stake in terms of the protection, management and care of the monuments, not only of the church but the crosses as well. I know there has b…