In recent months, we have seen the devastation caused by flooding in Midleton. In fairness, the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Minister for enterprise and a whole host of Ministers visited the area where businesses and families were left devastated. Extra funding was given. However, long before Midleton there is a place that the Taoiseach's satnav did not seem to find. It is in County Roscommon and is called Lough Funshinagh. In fairness, the Minister with responsibility for the OPW and the Minister for agriculture visited it. Neither the Taoiseach nor Micheál Martin seemed to hear about Lough Funshinagh in County Roscommon. In fairness, the junior Minister with responsibility for the OPW gave money and Roscommon County Council started work out of the budget from the OPW.

There are so-called friends of the environment while an SAC is dying on its feet. At the moment, the trees are actually dying. Worse still, the council is advising elderly people to leave their homes. This has been going on for years. Having spoken to these elderly people, I believe they do not intend to leave and will weather this out. They are sick and tired of what is going on. In fairness to the Minister of State, he put money there.

When the country needed to put jet engines in for power, the Minister, Deputy Ryan, came into the Dáil and legislation on Bord na Móna went through in one week. We were able to sign emergency legislation to bypass all European directives to make sure we could do the works because our country was in danger of losing power. That was done right around the country. Unfortunately, the Minister for arts, heritage and the Gaeltacht did not even visit the area where an SAC is dying on its feet. I do not blame the Minister with responsibility for it because his hands are in chains, between the courts down there and EU legislation. The Taoiseach has met Ursula von der Leyen often enough and he knows people in Europe. The head guy over environment was over here on the derogation. What have we done to try to help those elderly people? The Taoiseach may say they are out in the sticks; if this happened in Dublin it would be sorted. These people deserve better than what is going on at the moment. The Taoiseach has it in his hand and can sign emergency legislation to bypass.

It was done in the Corrib gas field. The Taoiseach has it in his grasp to sign that legislation to bypass European directives, prevent the death of an SAC or so-called SAC and save people's lives. The solution up to now was to knock one house and move the people. Will the Taoiseach do that for those people? Will he help the Minister of State to get this situation resolved for those people, rather than forcing them to fight the height of water that is coming at them once again?

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I know he has raised it before in the Dáil. It is a very distressing situation for people living and earning their livelihood around Lough Funshinagh. I have not had the chance to visit but am familiar with the area and it has been raised with me personally by the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, and Senator Dolan. The Minister of State, the OPW and Roscommon County Council are working to find a resolution to the issue. Temporary defences will be deployed in the interim. The Minister of State plans to meet with the Lough Funshinagh flood crisis committee on Thursday.

Since the beginning of January, the level of the lough has risen by about 300 mm, giving an average daily rate of rise of about 1 cm. The level of the lough is presently 325 mm below the road level in some areas. The lough, if it continues to rise at this rate, could overtop the road and inundate properties in less than a month's time. To mitigate the risk of that, Roscommon County Council plans to employ temporary defences along the top of the road. This work will likely need to commence in the next one to two weeks. In advance of the work starting, it will be necessary for the families in at least two properties to vacate their homes until such time as the lake levels are lower. The timescale is difficult to predict but could be of the order of four months. Officials from the council have already engaged with these families and will help them in any way they can.

I am astounded the Taoiseach even read that out. That was everywhere. Everyone knows what Roscommon County Council said. The Taoiseach did not listen to the question I asked him. I ask about the power the Government has. Bear in mind that when this case was being taken internal documents reveal the Attorney General was going to take the part of the person taking the case against Roscommon County Council.

Will the Taoiseach stand with his Minister of State? The money has been put aside and three quarters of the work has been done. Will the Taoiseach or whoever has to sign it, be it the Minister, Deputy Ryan, or the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, sign the emergency legislation protocol that it is in their hands to do? It was done regarding the gas pipeline in Mayo. It was done when the engines were being put in because the State was in danger of losing power. This House did not object to that. Will the Taoiseach do this for the sake of saving lives? This is not only about the people who are there. There are septic tanks now flowing into a turlough. Do the environmentalists believe that is good for it? There is material from slatted sheds going into the turlough and the Taoiseach and the Minister, Deputy Martin, have it in their grasp to talk to Europe and sign this to get it going - not to talk about people leaving their houses, but to get the few hundred yards of this that has to be finished, which the Minister of State put the money together for.

I confess I am genuinely not sure precisely what emergency legislation the Deputy is referring to. I know something about emergency legislation because I have been involved in it on a number of occasions in government. It is not as clear-cut as the Government deciding it wants to declare an emergency and bring about emergency legislation. It requires-----

It can bypass EU regulation with legislation in an emergency.

Yes, but it is not as simple as the Government-----

Yes, it is.

-----just deciding what an emergency is and is not.

Is someone going to get drowned not an emergency?