Yesterday, residents of Mogeely, Castlemartyr, Killeagh and Rathcormac presented to the Oireachtas petitions committee on the infuriating lack of progress on flood relief for their villages. When I raised their situation with the Taoiseach in late October, he responded in an almost disdainful tone, as if I was asking a naive question. He said: "The Midleton flood relief scheme is a complicated scheme. The Deputy must be aware [of this]." I was not talking about the Midleton flood relief scheme. I am fully aware of the scale and complexity of that project. It is far too late in the making but at least it is moving towards a planning process and we have some idea of the timeframe for it. Incredibly, however, there is no indication from the Government as to when works will begin to protect Mogeely, Killeagh, Castlemartyr and Rathcormac. Ladysbridge and Whitegate also flooded in October 2023, yet they are not even mentioned by the Government as being considered for flood relief. Why are there no timeframes for the protection of these villages, more than two years on from Storm Babet?

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It might be good to revisit.

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When will there be action?

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