asked the Minister for Local Government whether he is prepared to make special grants available to Killarney Urban District Council to enable them to relieve flooding at Woodlawn, Killarney, County Kerry and to ensure that such flooding will not recur.

There are no funds at my disposal out of which special grants might be made for the relief of flooding. My Department will, however, consider payment of subsidy towards the cost of approved schemes for the relief of flooding in urban areas carried out under the Local Government (Sanitary Services) Acts.

38.

asked the Minister for Local Government the action he proposes to take to alleviate flooding at Whitegate, County Cork.

The action, if any, to be taken in regard to flooding is a matter for consideration by the local authority concerned in the first instance.

That is lovely. A gentleman—he is not here now— could tell us that the Minister promised he would do the necessary job there.

What gentleman?

Deputy Hegarty.

I am afraid I cannot identify him at the moment.

He is a Deputy in this House. I want to make it clear I accept every word the Minister said and let there be no more codding in this.

It does appear that the cause of the flooding was the very high tide which occurs once every 12 years.

The Minister's answer was perfectly right.

Whitegate is always subject to tidal flooding as are other Cork coastal towns. Flooding is aggravated by the fact that the ground levels of the dwellings affected are at a lower level than that of the normal tide.