2026-02-12

10. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if funding will be provided to tackle costal erosion and flooding in Rossbeigh, Waterville, Kenmare, Tralee, Listowel, Glenbeigh, Dooks, Cromane Lower, Killorglin and Glosha; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10966/26]

I am raising the matter of funding for a host of locations across County Kerry, including Rossbeigh, Cromane Lower, Killorglin, Whitestrand, Cahersiveen, Waterville, Ballinskelligs and the major flood relief schemes there for Tralee and Kenmare.

I am very familiar with the coastal erosion and flooding issues in Kerry having visited the county twice, on 11 and 12 September and on 20 and 21 November 2025. Localised coastal erosion and flooding issues are a matter, in the first instance, for each local authority to investigate and address. The OPW is working closely with Kerry County Council to implement a number of initiatives to tackle coastal erosion and flooding in the county. We are currently funding three local authority staff in Kerry County Council to manage the delivery of flood relief schemes: a senior executive engineer, an executive engineer and a senior staff member. The minor flood mitigation works and coastal protection scheme was introduced by the Office of Public Works in 2009. The purpose of this scheme is to provide 90% of funding to local authorities to undertake minor flood mitigation works and studies to address localised flooding or coastal erosion problems. The scheme generally applies where a solution can be readily identified and achieved in a short timeframe. The funding available for each scheme has recently been increased from €750,000 to €2 million. Further details related to this are due to be announced shortly. The minor works scheme is a demand-led scheme. Funding allocated is based on the cost submitted by the local authorities for consideration. Since 2009, the OPW has approved some 40 projects and €4.2 million for Kerry County Council under the minor works schemes. Some €2.9 million of this approved funding relates to coastal erosion works and studies. Funding has been made available to Kerry County Council, totalling €897,405, for works or studies at Rossbeigh, Waterville, Kenmare, Glenbeigh and Cromane Lower through the minor works scheme. I have a long list of other schemes that I can give to the Deputy afterwards.

We need coastal protection works, flood relief schemes and marram grass initiatives, among other initiatives. We need to expedite funding for these schemes. From my experience, and I have been shouting about coastal erosion and flooding for almost 40 years now, this situation is not given the urgency it deserves. We seem to wait until the damage is done after big storms where there has been major flooding and homes have been destroyed. I am dealing with families living in fear when the tides are high, especially when they coincide with storms. They cannot sleep in their beds at night. I will mention another issue we spoke about recently, which is the whole area of insurance. I am coming across numerous families who cannot get home insurance. They can get insurance for fire, theft and all the other matters but they cannot get cover for flooding.

Looking at the figures, there was €24,000 for the seawall in north Kerry through the minor works scheme. For the North Kerry Way, there was €18,000 through the minor works scheme. There was €150,000 for Tralee Bay, and €44,000 for Tralee itself. For the Fenit Road, there was €405,000, and €360,000 for the Fenit Road Lower. Over €1 million has been given out in recent years. There was €216,000 for Cromane Lower, €35,000 for Waterville, €450,000 for Rossbeigh and €195,000 for Glenbeigh. The OPW has not been found wanting in supporting Kerry and the local authority. The Deputy knows of my visit there in recent weeks, before Christmas, where we came with interim solutions for different parts of Kerry. We are now looking at coastal areas, but this is driven, in the first instance, by the local authority. I appeal to the Deputy to go out to Portrane to see what the local authority has done to get a licence from the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, MARA, to deal with flooding. We need local authorities to step up and apply for these licences. In order to apply, they have to show where they are going to carry out works and provide protection to people along the coast. If they do that, they can apply for a MARA licence. I thank the staff in MARA because it is the first time ever we got a licence to do work along the coast. The Deputy can see in Portrane the work that was done to protect that area. I advise Deputy Cahill, as I advise every Deputy in the House, to follow suit and deliver for his community through the local authorities.

I thank the Minister of State. I acknowledge that he visited Kerry and Rossbeigh, where I live, and saw for himself the situation there. There will be a public meeting at 6.30 p.m. this evening in the Towers Hotel. The Minister of State also visited Cromane where homes have been destroyed in the past. I have been in houses when there was 3 ft of saltwater in them. In 2015, I was a member of a deputation that came here to discuss the cliff road in Rossbeigh, where 16 houses had been cut off. We were told by the then Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Deputy Simon Harris, that pilot studies needed to be carried out and that he did not want deputations coming up to the Dáil every couple of weeks. It took ten years for the pilot studies to be completed. They will indicate where funding should and should not go. As I mentioned, a host of areas need urgent attention, including Rossbeigh, Incherea, Dooks in Glenbeigh, lower Bridge Street in Killorglin near the fishery, Cromane Lower, which is critical, Glosha, Whitestrand in Cahersiveen where the public toilets and car park are at risk, Waterville, Ballinskelligs, and the Kenmare and Tralee flood relief schemes.

Deputy Ó Murchú wants to ask a supplementary question.

Le do thoil. The Minister of State will not be shocked when I raise the issues we have had recently in County Louth, particularly in the Dundalk area. In fairness, the Minister of State visited Blackrock. The local authorities stated minor works schemes could be implemented in Dundalk, more so even than Blackrock. The Minister of State has spoken of the need for a personal property scheme to be implemented. He might give some detail on that. Obviously, we need works done. We have seen coastal erosion recently on the Carlingford Lough greenway. Ballagan has had huge issues, and Antóin Watters and Fiona Mhic Conchoille have been on to me multiple times about that. There was a bun fight with OPW around cleaning the Blackwater river but, according to the Louth local authority, it has found a way through that and it looks like it is willing to clean it, which should have happened previously. However, we also need a conversation with Uisce Éireann to keep the pressure on because we have an infrastructure deficit, with the joint system that is not going to be operated for years. Where I live, we get flooded on the basis that we cannot clear stormwaters and sewage at the same time.

Deputy Cahill is right that I visited Cromane. I met with Michael Healy-Rae's colleague in relation to the same issue only yesterday. I asked him to ask the local authority to come in with minor works for Cromane, and it will be dealt with. Let us call a spade a spade. When I visited the place during Christmas week, I identified areas that could get protection. I looked at the street and we identified one shop, a chemist, that did not flood. Why did it not flood? It put in its own individual property protection, IPP. I reached out that day to the local authorities to look at an IPP system through the minor works programme. I await that because I cannot drive it. I ask the Deputy to drive that with the local authority. We talked about the flooding of recent days. After the devastation that happened in Enniscorthy, when we were talking about more rain my biggest concern was County Louth. Deputy Ó Murchú's colleagues in the House rang me. I was fearful. My team in the OPW met with the local authorities last week and will continue to engage. I need the local authorities to push on. I am providing staff to the local authority to deliver on those schemes.