Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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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.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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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.

Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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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.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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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.

Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State.