I have spoken to the Minister a number of times this week about the devastation there has been in north County Louth with floods. Dundalk had a fair amount of flooding that could have been a lot more major. I would say to the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, that I will be having a conversation on the need for a drainage area plan that has been promised by Irish Water, and that needs to happen. The likes of Bay Estate, Cluain Enda, Avondale and areas in my part of Dundalk would be under severe pressure. I would welcome that conversation with the Minister of State. We need supports for roads and infrastructure. We welcome the emergency business relief and humanitarian aid schemes but farmers have specifically asked for something to help with feed and damage to lands and such. We need to look at that, particularly for the Cooley Peninsula.

This is an issue the Deputy has raised with me and Senator McGreehan has been raising it with me in great detail and providing me with documentation and evidence on the damage we have seen. We have put in place humanitarian assistance for businesses and homeowners, which was important. The Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael McGrath, visited the area, accompanied by Senator McGreehan, to visit businesses and homes. I thank the Deputy for raising this and it is something I am considering. I am taking on board the submissions there are, assessing the extent of it and I will respond to the Deputy and continue to work with Senator McGreehan on the challenges and real difficulties people have faced in north Louth.

Over two weeks ago we had a major flooding incident in Cork as well, around the city and in east Cork. I am lucky in that my home town of Glanmire has a flood relief scheme that just started. That did not mitigate the worst impacts of what happened but at least we have a scheme under way. Unfortunately, many other areas in Cork do not. The contractor on site in Glanmire is due to do works between July and September next year to coincide with certain fishing seasons and so on. The contractor is indicating that it would like to do that work in January, out of season, but that requires ministerial consent. I ask the Minister to go back to the relevant Minister, under inland fisheries, and to the Government and get that consent as urgently as possible. As I said, fortunately we have a scheme in place and we can do works and take active mitigation measures in the interim but many other areas are not as fortunate.

This is an issue the Deputy has been a strong advocate on, and as he says, completing proper flood defences makes a massive difference. That is something we need to see stepped out in all of those towns and villages that face challenges. I take on board the point the Deputy is making on the plans and the appointment of a contractor. I will liaise with the Office of Public Works on that and on the points the Deputy raises. We need to see the investment that is being committed to and the plans that are under way delivered as quickly as we possibly can in order that people can have confidence that the defences for their homes and businesses are in place in the event that we see future weather events, which we all know will be more common in the time ahead.