Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 25 Jun 2024

Ar an gcéad dul síos, ba mhaith liom fíorbhuíochas a ghabhadh leis an Aire Stáit as ucht teacht isteach tráthnóna. Tá a fhios agam nach bhfuil sé éasca teacht ag an am seo den oíche ach tá mé cinnte mar iar-chúlbhinseoir é féin go dtuigfidh sé an tábhacht a bhaineann le Aire ón Roinn a mbaineann an t-ábhar leis teacht isteach agus freagraí a thabhairt go chúlbhinseoirí ar na Saincheisteanna Tráthúla.

The digital economy is vital to the entire Irish economy. We have built up over the last generations a modern, vibrant economy in many sectors but particularly in the digital sector. The Minister of State's Department has a clear policy to continue developing that sector. I understand Ireland has the fifth most advanced digital economy in the European Union. We know it is a vital employer in this economy. Therefore, we need to ensure we have the digital infrastructure, part of which is the provision of data centres, which is the issue I wish to raise tonight. We need to have a comprehensive long-term view of how we progress. I accept that we have to challenge our carbon footprint and that data centres are huge energy users.

I understand there is a risk that the energy regulator might refuse grid connections for data centres. If that were to happen, it would be short-sighted because, at times, one must go backwards to go forwards. By that I mean we cannot stop-start our economy. One cannot stop-start one's competitive place in the world. We live in a competitive international climate in terms of future development. We cannot rest on our laurels as a country, think we have it made and that industry will keep coming here and people involved in developing the digital economy will come here if we say we will do this but only in 2030.

Unusually, as a country, we are totally surrounded by water and have massive potential for renewable energy production into the future. As we have a small population relative to our size, we probably, per head of population, have more energy around our seas than nearly any other country. In the future, we will have surplus energy. We have choices to make. One choice is to damage the economy, because there will be a small time lag, by not allowing the digital economy to progress. The other is to take the longer-term view and say we can do this totally sustainably within a reasonable timeframe. For example, people are talking about the first major offshore site to come on stream put 2030. That is only six years away.

It is important that we make sure the policy of grid connection of the regulators is in line with Government policy. Time and again, particularly in the west, we have seen this challenge of regulation being at variance with Government policy. We need a coherent view. People say to me that the regulator is independent. Regulators are independent day-to-day but it has to be the Government, through legislation, that lays down the basic ground rules for regulation.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Éamon Ó Cuív as ucht na díospóireachta seo a thabhairt os ár gcomhair anocht.

I do not disagree with anything the Deputy said but I will give him the formal response. As the Deputy knows, and as he has acknowledged, Ireland wants to continue to be a European and digital global leader.

Ireland is strongly committed to progressing the digital transformation of our economy. Data centres are necessary infrastructure for many of the services that we now take for granted, including technological advances such as cloud computing, quantum and AI, and the rapid growth of the use of Internet services by enterprise and communities. Data centres are a key part of our value proposition for foreign direct investment. I absolutely agree with Deputy Ó Cuív's contention about us not being complacent in this space.

As with all large energy users, future data centre developments will need to be consistent with our climate legislation and targets. The 2022 Government statement on the role of data centres in Ireland’s enterprise strategy signals the Government's clear preference for sustainable data centre development that can demonstration a clear pathway to decarbonise and ultimately provide net zero data services. This statement provides a framework for decisions to be made around energy connections over the next number of years while we have the challenges of balancing supply and demand of energy with meeting our climate targets.

The Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, is undertaking a review of the gas and electricity connection policies for new large energy users and we expect a decision paper in the coming months, which will set guidelines for new grid connections. Officials in my Department are also working with officials in the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and other relevant stakeholders to clarify the position to industry for data centre connections over the near term, from now to 2030, and the longer term, post 2030. This work will include exploring options such as locating data centres close to offshore wind production. The output of the work being undertaken by the Department will provide the data centre sector with the certainty it requires to make decisions regarding future data centre investment in Ireland and it will support the continued growth of the digital economy, while in parallel the sector transitions to net zero carbon operations.

I can assure Deputy Ó Cuív that my Department is very robust in our submissions around the current data centre operation. We are engaging in very detailed submissions with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities.

I thank the Minister of State for the very clear and precise answer that actually addressed the issue I raised. We often get a page and a half of irrelevance and five lines of relevance. In this case, however, the issue was addressed head on.

My concern is that in the long term, the CRU will take it upon itself to ignore the wider picture. I agree that every new data centre should have a road to sustainability. I fully accept that but this might not be possible in the short term. This is where the dilemma arises for us as a nation. In the longer term we know that we probably have more energy off our coast than we will ever need and we will be exporting it to other economies. Are we going to export the jobs and the digital economy with it or are we going to take a balanced view of how we go forward? Provided there are clear paths to sustainability within a reasonable timeframe and we use the extraordinary resources off our coast, industry will be able to progress in the coming five or six years until we get to that crossover point where we are not only self-sustainable but able to export our electricity.

The challenge for us is how to manage this. In the context of modern regulation, it worries me that regulators have a habit, as we see with the CRU in relation to water connections for domestic houses, of working in a framework that is independent of the reality or the common good on the ground. We have to be careful in this case that we do not kill the goose that is laying the golden egg. Instead, we should do as the Minister of State has outlined, which is to have a clearly managed process going forward to get to that sustainability without missing a step in the development of the digital economy, including data centres.

The Deputy is absolutely right that data centres are an important part of the solution for increasing the supply of sustainable energy. They can transform energy usage through the use of corporate purchase power agreements, through on-site renewables, demand flexibility, battery storage and many other sustainable options and solutions that will reduce the burden on the grid.

Our offshore wind industrial strategy recognises the important role of data centres for Ireland. Meeting our offshore renewable energy target, which is 37 GW by 2050, presents, as the Deputy identified, a massive opportunity to locate large new industries of the future in close proximity to offshore renewable energy projects. For many communities this will be well outside Dublin. The Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, and I had very good engagement with the Scottish Government two weeks ago about its track record in this space and what we can learn to do that.

The industrial strategy includes an action to assess the role that green energy parks will play in Ireland's future enterprise development. These new parks will attract significant foreign direct investment, create jobs and stimulate prosperity by co-locating the infrastructure required to produce the renewable energy with the large energy usages such as data centres that will use that energy. In particular, there will be a requirement to identify appropriate usage for the projected increased quantum of electricity that will become available, as identified by the Deputy, post 2030. The new flexible and predictable demand loads such as those required by data centres will be essential in managing that demand-supply equation.

I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to clarify the position of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment in relation to the ongoing consultation. There is some work to be done but I value the opportunity to place our position on the record of the Dáil.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for selecting this matter and the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon, for being here. I raised this issue last May with the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan. At the time, he told me the implementation of legislation on the management of tree and hedge-cutting operations was a matter for local authorities and landowners. The problem is that the countryside is full of dead ash trees, many of which are by roadsides. Last winter, I saw that a number of them had fallen down under heavy winds, storms and so on. This posed serious risk to people using the roadways. Since then, I have noticed many more of them around the country. One can see the dead trees in the hedgerows with other the trees. They are extraordinarily dangerous.

I am delighted the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon, is here given that his Department published a guide for landowners to managing roadside trees in 2021. It is very clearly stated in the publication that dead trees should be felled. Full stop. They are extraordinarily dangerous. If a tree falls down on a road at night, someone could drive into it.

I do not want to be here next winter bemoaning the fact that action was not taken and awareness was not raised on this issue. I do not want to be here, or someone else to be here, asking why we did not raise awareness or why the local authorities did not take action, identify the trees and contact the landowners to tell them it is their responsibility to take down these trees.

Where lies the issue with regard to insurance? If I am driving along a road, a tree falls on top of my car, I get badly injured and my car is badly damaged, where does responsibility lie? Will the insurance companies stand over an issue with respect to trees that are obviously dangerous and could fall down and kill or seriously injure somebody? This matter affects areas all over the country. It relates not only to ash dieback but also Dutch elm disease, which has made an appearance recently.

The Minister for Transport says it is a matter for the local authorities. The Minister of State, Deputy Heydon, has responsibility for farm safety issues and is doing a great job on that. His Department has issued a guide for landowners but the missing piece here is nudging landowners to take action. We need to take action before it is too late. We do not want a Deputy asking the Taoiseach on Leaders' Questions next spring why the Government did not do something about this. I am raising it now. I have seen trees that have already fallen, the damage they can cause and the dangers they pose. I notice more and more of them around the country. Will the Minister of State and his Government colleagues instruct local authorities to carry out surveys and if trees are found that are obviously dead and could easily fall in a gale, that they notify the landowner that they have to be removed?

There might be a cost involved here and this could be a serious one if the tree is very large. This work does not come cheap. If a landowner has a whole roadside full of dead trees, it could cost €1,000 per tree to take them down. Many issues arise here, then, but the most important one is that involving health and safety and life and death. This is a life-and-death issue. I know the Minister of State in his own work in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is really concerned about safety issues. I will not say this is a real live safety issue because the trees are dead, but it should be addressed as a matter of extreme urgency before the winter sets in and we have bad weather and storms where we will see many more of these trees coming down on roads and cars. God forbid that we see people injured or worse.

I thank Deputy Stanton for raising this important issue. I am taking this Topical Issue this evening on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, who is unable to be here. I appreciate the opportunity to update Members of the Dáil on the potential dangers posed by dead trees, especially those adjacent to public roads, and the need to remove any trees at risk of falling and causing death or injury, as the Deputy has clearly outlined.

With regard to this specific issue, first, I must highlight that the relevant legislation on the danger of trees on public roads is the Roads Act 1993, which comes under the remit of the Department of Transport. Section 70 of the Roads Act sets out the responsibility of landowners to take all reasonable steps to ensure that trees, hedges and other vegetation growing on their land are not, or could not become, a danger to people using a public road or interfere with the safe use of a public road or the maintenance of a public road. This responsibility includes "the preservation, felling, cutting, lopping, trimming or removal of such tree, shrub, hedge or other vegetation" in question. As such, the implementation of any legislation and the removal of dead or dying trees is a matter for local authorities and landowners and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has no role in this regard.

Second, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government has responsibility at central government level in relation to the local government system generally and for certain specific functional or service areas such as planning, housing and fire services. However, responsibility in relation to policy, funding, legislation and general oversight and accountability at national level in respect of a number of functions of local authorities rests with other relevant Departments. Traditionally, this has applied in aspects of functions such as agriculture, education, health and welfare. This multilateral reporting relationship has extended to embrace functions such as roads and traffic, enterprise support, tourism and certain piers and harbours, as well as more recently rural affairs and environmental matters. In short, local authorities now perform functions across a wide range of sectors that come within the remit of a number of different Departments and central agencies and not just the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. This is the case with regard to the question raised by the Deputy and the legislative and policy framework relating to the dangers of trees on public roads and the protection of the public in this respect.

That was the response that was given to me by the Department, but I completely agree with the points raised by the Deputy. In relation to the responsibility that lies with my Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, my colleague, the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, issued guidance to landowners in terms of their responsibilities about two years ago. I think it was then but I will have to check. The responsibility here, though, primarily rests with landowners. The Deputy referred to dead trees in his contribution, but there are many trees that are technically still alive but that, through the impacts of Dutch elm disease or other diseases, may still have leaves on them at this time of the year but actually be very vulnerable. I know from home that when trees lose a bough, there can be a situation where if water can get into the middle of a tree, it can become very unstable and end up being partly rotten but still technically alive and with leaves on it. It is incumbent on all landowners, then, to recognise their responsibility, especially concerning trees on roads that create this type of hazard, and ensure their trees are sound. They must not only do this via visual inspection but through a more physical inspection too. It is not just a case that a tree may not have any leaves on it and look dead. Other trees may be dangerous as well and landowners do have the primary responsibility in terms of ensuring that a tree in a roadside verge on their land is not a hazard and does not fall on that road and either hit vehicles or act as an obstruction that could be crashed into afterwards.

I thank the Minister of State for his response. It is a bit funny because, in one sense, everyone here is responsible and no one is responsible. This issue has moved from the Department of Transport to the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and to the local authorities. Ultimately, this responsibility will fall back on the landowners if an accident does occur. This is certainly going to happen because there are so many dead trees out there. They are dead. There are no leaves or bark on them. They are just dead.

We are in the middle of climate change and if we have more impacts from it and more severe storms next winter, then we will see quite a number of these trees coming down. Many are owned by farmers and landowners. These trees could actually fall on farmers themselves. They could fall during the middle of the dark nights and people could drive into them. It is, therefore, an extremely dangerous situation. I did ask the question earlier concerning insurance. If someone is aware or should be aware that a tree is dead and poses a danger, is he or she covered by insurance if it falls on somebody or would he or she be cleaned out if a case were to be taken in this regard and it was proved that person should have known the tree in question was dead and reasonable precautions should have been taken and the tree removed? The cost of taking down these trees is also quite expensive. It is also a dangerous job because if a tree is dead and rotten and an attempt is made to try to knock it down, it ends up being more dangerous than a healthy tree.

I ask the Minister of State, therefore, to go back to his Departmental and his ministerial colleagues across the Departments to emphasise the danger of this issue across the country. I am not sure which Department is responsible here, because they are all saying they are not, but if a tragedy occurs, and we hope it does not, but if it does, it will be raised in here and fingers will be pointed at Ministers and questions will be asked about why they did not do something. Everyone will be saying we should have done something. I am raising this issue now because I do not want to see this happening. I want to see every bit of caution being taken to take these trees out because they are a danger. I do not want to see any injuries or fatalities because of this situation in the coming winter or beyond. I again, therefore, ask the Minister of State to go back to his colleagues, notify the local authorities to go out and identify these trees and then notify the landowners to go out and take them down. I thank the Minister of State.

I do not have a specific answer for the Deputy. I think the answer is in terms of insurance but I do not have it in my response here and I do not want to put something on the record of the House that is just a gut feeling and what my understanding is without being 100% sure. Again, to go back to the original response, landowners do have the primary responsibility. The Deputy spoke about trees that are clearly dead. We are going to have a growing problem, pardon the pun, of ash dieback being present in individual ash trees on the roadside. My Department has responsibility for ash plantations, but the majority of individual ash trees in hedgerows will die by ash dieback and will be impacted in this way around the country. Again, this is a major challenge for farmers and landowners.

To return to the point, the local authorities definitely have a role here. I agree with the concerns the Deputy raised about when the responsibility for something lies in one area, it can end up being the case that it becomes everybody's responsibility and no one's. We cannot let this happen. This is something that will be a growing issue and will need to be worked on interdepartmentally. Ultimately, however, the primary responsibility remains with the landowner and this will not change. From this perspective, I imagine, landowners who talk to an insurance broker will get a clear direction very quickly if they have trees that are showing signs of decay, are unstable, have a lean, have lost boughs and water ingress may have weakened their cores. This is a situation where if the farmer or landowner did not act upon it, he or she could be liable, I would imagine. I am trying not to speculate here because it is not my role to do that here.

The Deputy has highlighted a significant issue. The local authorities have a key role to play. I know of instances where area engineers from the roads sections of county councils have approached landowners and said they were not happy about the look of some of the trees and asked that private consultants be engaged to check them and decide with a contractor to remove them where they are hazardous.

First, and I mean this with no disrespect to the Minister of State, I really needed the Minister of Health present here in the Chamber. It was incredibly important for him to be here to answer questions or, at the very least, to have a Minister of State here from within his Department. I am struggling to be able to see where the Minister of State will be able to provide any clarification, which is what I need for my constituents. The Minister of State will only be able to read out the response he has been given and nothing more. I add that this situation is not unusual. We often have a different a Minister or Minister of State taking a question on behalf of the Minister with sole responsibility for that Department. Usually, however, it is someone from within the relevant Department.

They would have some experience or knowledge themselves on the issue, but that is not the case here. This is not the only time this issue has occurred. This is the second time the Minister of State has responded to this matter, once here and prior to that in the Seanad. There has been nothing but confusion created on when Ennis will get its satellite haemodialysis unit, which was announced and promised. I am extremely concerned about it as I hear from within UHL that the question should be whether it is happening at all. Since February, I have been told that the proposal for an externally contracted satellite haemodialysis unit at Ennis General Hospital is currently under review. Then a further sentence was added stating it was under internal HSE review and that funding for any approved proposal would be subject to the standard Estimates process. I received a response to a parliamentary question from the then acting CEO of the UL Hospitals Group saying that the tender process is complete but that funding and HSE board approval are now required.

There appears to be so many versions of the same thing. Is there a straightforward answer? I hope the Minister of State will be able to provide one in his response. In fairness, I have gone from pillar to post on this issue, which requires a simple answer as to when it will happen. Why has there been so much hesitation? That only became apparent after the announcement was made last year. What is going on? It is completely unacceptable.

I ask the Minister of State to go back to the Minister for Health and to relay my exact sentiments. Haemodialysis is a mostly lifelong treatment given to people suffering from severe kidney failure. UHL is the only hospital in the Ennis-Limerick-Nenagh region that offers this service and it has little to no capacity currently to accept new patients. The hospital is under great pressure and a potential disaster is waiting to happen.

The cost of transporting patients from the mid-west to UHL by taxi for this exact treatment was €204,321 last year. If we go back to when the records began in 2017, the cost was nearly €127,181, which indicates a significant increase. I hear through the grapevine that the satellite haemodialysis unit is not going ahead and management is so desperate it has decided to offer night dialysis. There is no sign of additional resources coming forward. This gives rise to a myriad of issues of concern. Is the Minister of State aware of the proposal to provide night dialysis and what is his response to that?

I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to address the House on this issue. I send apologies on behalf of the Minister for Health who was unable to take this matter. I offer this response in his place on what I know is a very important issue for the people of Clare and the mid-west region.

Haemodialysis is a life-sustaining treatment. However, for dialysis patients and their loved ones, travelling to treatment several times a week for hours on end is hugely demanding. I reassure the Deputy and all patients in the mid-west that the Government remains fully committed to improving services in the region. The Minister for Health has engaged extensively with the UL Hospitals Group and the HSE in recent months. He announced a series of measures to increase capacity and improve services across the region, including in Ennis. This includes 48 additional acute inpatient beds to be opened in Ennis hospital in the next four years. This will almost double the capacity of the hospital. The acute hospital inpatient bed capacity expansion plan details 382 additional beds to be delivered in this region by 2031.

As the Deputy highlighted, the UL Hospitals Group is seeking to establish a haemodialysis service in Ennis. It is envisaged that this unit will be similar to the satellite centre already in place in the Fresenius Medical Care centre in Limerick. The development of a unit in Ennis would enable more patients in the area to receive treatment closer to home. This development would also ease pressure on the renal department at University Hospital Limerick and on the existing satellite unit in the Fresenius Medical Care centre.

The Deputy can be reassured that the Minister understands the importance of expanding haemodialysis options in the mid-west. I am advised that procurement for this satellite unit is progressing in line with national financial regulations. The HSE has advised that following a tender process carried out this year, significantly higher projected costs than were originally expected to deliver the unit were identified. Additional funding, beyond what was originally projected, is required to support this service. The HSE has advised that the service is still anticipated to commence in 2025, as advised earlier this year. In the interim, additional dialysis slots have been added to the service at UHL to ensure all patients can receive the treatment they need. I appreciate that additional travel and later appointments can cause significant inconvenience to the lives of dialysis patients. The HSE has advised that, where it is possible, the distance patients must travel is taken into consideration when allocating these slots. I assure the Deputy that the Minister welcomes the additional capacity that this expansion of services will bring to the mid-west. He continues to work towards that end.

I appreciate the response the Minister of State has given and the indication that the service will commence in 2025. It is hard to see how that will transpire given that it is the middle of 2024 and nothing has been progressed. I also appreciate that he outlined that the procurement is progressing in line with national financial regulations but I am unsure as to what that means. I feel that I have entered a twilight zone given that he is responding to this issue for the second time. No definitive timeline was mentioned in the response. I understand that additional costs present a challenge but we must be able to respond, especially given the proposal for night dialysis. The issue is not that people are getting later slots; it is that they are having to do it at night, which poses a number of safety issues. Night dialysis is not a good plan and it must be stopped in its tracks. That is something on which one and all agree.

Another point is that little to no management personnel will be present on night shifts. I mentioned to the Minister on a number of occasions about the need for reform of management in UHL and he indicated a similar line of thought. It is important to mention that no management personnel will be present in the case of night dialysis, and that is a major safety issue.

The introduction of night dialysis is a half measure at best. Although it is claimed to be temporary, it is likely to become permanent. We do not have a definitive timeline. The Minister of State said the service will commence in 2025 but the fact that we are only discussing the proposal at this point does not provide much confidence. That will have serious ramifications for patient well-being. It forces frail elderly people to leave their home at approximately 10 o'clock at night to travel for up to two hours to the hospital and receive a four-hour treatment, returning home at approximately 6.30 in the morning. It is desperately unfair to people in this situation and it also prevents younger people from working.

The Minister for Health understands the significant improvements a new haemodialysis unit would deliver to patients in Clare. Dialysis treatment can be demanding for patients and their loved ones. As the Deputy clearly outlined, it puts significant pressure on their time and the effect is increased for those who must travel longer distances to receive the treatment. The Government remains committed to working with all relevant stakeholders to provide haemodialysis services in line with clinical advice and best practice.

As I stated, dialysis patients in Clare continue to receive care in UHL and the Fresenius Medical Care centre. The HSE is using contingency measures to ensure that all patients who need that care continue to receive it while capacity across the region expands. It has also advised that procurement is continuing to progress on the establishment of a satellite haemodialysis service in Ennis as soon as possible. As I outlined in my original response, I am told that will happen in 2025. This is an expensive and specialised service. The HSE is continuing with the procurement process in line with the financial regulations but also with the clinical guidance of the national renal office. The Minister continues to work closely with the HSE to ensure that the new regional executive officer in the mid-west is fully supported in the delivery of healthcare services for the region.

I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter. We are back again. I have been raising this issue for some time. I will give him a synopsis of what we are dealing with in Midleton in east Cork.

Midleton flooded in November 2000, October 2004, June 2012, July 2013, January 2014, February 2014, October 2014, December 2015, January 2016, December 2018 and the most recent and most devastating flooding was Storm Babet on 23 October 2023.

I have been raising this with the Minister for a while. It is now the end of June. I am still dealing with constituent householders whose insurance companies are fighting them. They still have not received a pay out from their insurance. Another issue raised with me in a number of areas was with regard to people who bought houses in council estates. Even though the entire estate was destroyed those on the council list received humanitarian aid and skips but those who bought their own houses were left to their own devices. There are also people who have only now started to get into their homes who are being told no skips are available. There is a lot of misinformation. I am trying to get answers through parliamentary questions and I am also hoping to get a meeting with senior engineers in Cork County Council.

Preventative measures are being discussed and, let us be honest, it will happen again at some stage. An event being one in 100 years or one in 200 years is a myth. We can have two in a day. It is about being preventative and getting away from being reactive. Providing a full grant for individual property protection through flood barriers that can be fitted onto doors is being mooted. I do not know anything about it but there is talk of 750 properties in the Midleton area, along with areas such as Mogeely and other parts of east Cork that were affected. I would like answers on this.

I know some early warning systems have been put in place. The Minister is aware of Moore's Bridge which collapsed into the river. There is a lot of debris downstream. There is a flood overflow there but it just did not work. One Department is saying the gravel will be taken out of the turn on the riverbed, which would protect houses on the right as it flows into Midleton, but I have been informed that Inland Fisheries Ireland is holding this back. We are not getting clarity on this.

What I would like this evening is reassurance. Let us try to get these flood barriers and protection barriers as fast as we can. Flooding is the most commonly-funded event by the European Union Solidarity Fund. Are moneys available through this fund? Could the Government draw down money from the European Union Solidarity Fund to start putting in place preventative measures in the summer before we head back into the winter when we will be facing the same devastation again? I will come back to the Minister of State on how it is affecting families.

I thank Deputy Buckley for raising this important issue. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility who, unfortunately, is not able to be here.

The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, recently visited Midleton and the east Cork region. He had an opportunity to meet with Cork County Council and local communities and residents to discuss the flooding problems in the area and the proposed flood defence works that are planned or under way for Midleton and east Cork. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, is fully aware that flooding has a significant impact on people, families, businesses and communities, in particular the recent flooding caused by Storm Babet in October 2023.

Through the catchment flood risk assessment and management programme, the largest study of flood risk was completed by the Office of Public Works in 2018. This studied the risk for two thirds of the population of flooding from rivers and the sea. The Government's flood risk management plans provided the evidence of a proactive approach to designing and constructing flood relief works for the most at-risk communities.

The delivery of the flood risk management plan is supported by €1.3 billion through the national development plan. To date 55 schemes have been completed, which are providing protection to more than 13,000 properties and an economic benefit to the State in damages and losses avoided, which are estimated to be in the region of €2 billion. It is not possible to progress all 150 flood relief schemes identified by the flood risk management plans simultaneously, due to the limited availability of the professional and specialised engineering and other skills that are required to design and construct flood relief schemes.

While this prioritised approach to delivering schemes means that work is complete or under way to protect some 80% of all at-risk properties nationally, the flood relief schemes for Castlemartyr, which is planned to include Mogeely, and for Rathcormac are not in the first phase of projects being progressed nationally. The Government is, however, committed to progressing these schemes as a part of the €1.3 billion for flood relief measures under the national development plan.

The OPW is piloting a new delivery model for flood relief schemes, which will inform the prioritisation of future schemes nationally and the scope of services required from consultants to design and construct flood relief schemes. Cork County Council can also introduce localised flood mitigation measures with funding from the OPW minor flood mitigation works and coastal protection scheme for all locations ahead of the completion of a flood relief scheme for the community. The purpose of this minor works scheme is to provide funding to local authorities to undertake short-term measures in the form of minor flood mitigation works to address localised fluvial flooding and coastal protection problems within their administrative area. The scheme applies where a flood defence solution can be readily identified and achieved within a short timeframe. Under the scheme, applications are considered for projects that are estimated to cost no more than €750,000. Funding of up to 90% of the cost is available for approved projects.

The OPW is working closely with Cork County Council to expedite the delivery of flood relief schemes in County Cork with the minimum of delay and currently provides funding for five full-time engineering staff in the council. The OPW is in discussions with the council to fund additional engineering and administrative staff for the purpose of delivering flood relief schemes in the county. Funding for an executive engineer was approved by the OPW in late 2023, with the executive engineer currently in position. The OPW expects to conclude these discussions in the coming weeks.

Cork County Council is leading the delivery of the Midleton flood relief scheme, and in 2017 appointed engineering and environmental consultants. Midleton has proven to be one of the most complex schemes, with flood risks from four sources. These are fluvial, tidal, groundwater and pluvial. Following Storm Babet an assessment of the scheme is being completed so we can be confident that a scheme is being designed that can meet the standard of protection required by the insurance industry. The next step is to seek planning consent, and work is ongoing on the development of the planning design for the scheme.

Interim flood defence measures in Midleton are under way in a phased manner, in compliance with the regulatory frameworks. Some examples of measures that are either complete or ongoing include an interim and advance works report that has been completed by the scheme consultants and which is under review by the project steering group, the installation of a number of gauges in the Owenacurra River, and the appointment of a contractor to clear vegetation in the town centre, which will begin in the coming weeks. The council is continuing with efforts to reach landowner agreement on the removal of Moore's Bridge and is in discussion with the owner of a second bridge located on the Owenacurra River. The council is also engaging with Met Éireann on improving local flood forecasting capability.

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I am a realist. Things do not happen overnight. As I said, I listed out events going back to 2000. I welcome the Minister of State mentioning Mogeely and Gleann Fia. I thank Cork County Council and the east Cork municipal district council because they are pushing and working with the OPW on this. The Minister of State's response states flood defences solution can be readily identified and achievable in a short timeframe. The flood barriers that can be connected to homes would be instant. I do not know whether they would be covered. The amount of €750,000 is a good pocket to get things moving.

I want to mention a public warning system with regard to where there is a major emergency or disaster that poses a significant or imminent threat to human life. Perhaps the Minister of State could look at technology for the existing system. Only that Storm Babet happened during the day in Midleton there would have been deaths. I have never seen it so bad in my entire life. How nobody was killed is unbelievable.

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I will follow it up with Cork County Council and the OPW. I appeal to everybody to work together. In Gleann Fia in Mogeely people have worked with the farmer and come up with a solution. They have agreement on the short-term measure of a holding tank to be released into the culvert on the river in Castlemartyr.

I am happy that work is ongoing on Moore's Bridge. I have met the Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW at Moore's Bridge and briefed him on what the real problems are. I would like to go down with him someday and go through some of the home truths. I thank the Minister of State for his response and I will bring it back to those people who are affected.

I will follow up on the issue of the insurance and the mental stress it is causing people who have not even got into their houses yet.

I thank the Minister of State.

I thank the Deputy again for raising this. I do not underestimate the stress for everyone involved in this in the Midleton area.

As outlined in my initial response, discussions are ongoing between the OPW and Cork County Council. The OPW expects those discussions to conclude within weeks. An assessment of advance works in Midleton is progressing. Advance works involve the delivery of certain elements of the main scheme in specific areas in advance of delivery of the whole scheme. An assessment of advance works is required to fully understand the impact of such works. Construction of isolated sections of defences to protect one area can increase risks at other locations and statutory planning consent may be required, as may environmental assessments.

Individual property protection is being considered as part of the overall suite of measures for Midleton in conjunction with interim and advance works. Cork County Council and the OPW are in the process of agreeing the scope and scale of an individual property protection scheme for Midleton. It is intended to roll out individual property protection on a targeted and phased basis across the village.

Cork County Council has submitted an updated application for Castlemartyr to the OPW minor flood mitigation works and coastal protection scheme. The application consists of proposed works, including increasing the height of the wall upstream of Castlemartyr bridge and the cleaning, widening and deepening of the river to improve flood conveyance. The OPW is processing the application as expeditiously as possible and continues to engage with Cork County Council.

The OPW understands that the council has assessed a number of possible options for interim flood relief measures at Gleann Fia, Mogeely and will appoint consultant engineers in the coming weeks to complete a detailed assessment that will include the impact on surrounding lands, given the karst nature of the area. The OPW continues to work with the council to identify viable interim measures for Mogeely, pending the completion of a flood relief scheme for the village as part of the Castlemartyr flood relief scheme.

Cork County Council has submitted an application for funding under the OPW minor flood mitigation works and coastal protection scheme for interim flood mitigation works in Killeagh. The proposed works include river cleaning, tree cutting and the removal of overhanging trees and branches and repairs to rock armour and guardrails. This application is currently under review by the OPW.

If there is any reassurance for the Deputy's constituents, it is that a lot of work is happening, but until all those measures are in place, they will not have the peace of mind they need. However, I am reassured by the response and by the Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW that every effort is being made by the OPW, working in conjunction with Cork County Council, to bring about a resolution as quickly as possible.