Yesterday, residents of Mogeely, Castlemartyr, Killeagh and Rathcormac presented to the Oireachtas petitions committee on the infuriating lack of progress on flood relief for their villages. When I raised their situation with the Taoiseach in late October, he responded in an almost disdainful tone, as if I was asking a naive question. He said: "The Midleton flood relief scheme is a complicated scheme. The Deputy must be aware [of this]." I was not talking about the Midleton flood relief scheme. I am fully aware of the scale and complexity of that project. It is far too late in the making but at least it is moving towards a planning process and we have some idea of the timeframe for it. Incredibly, however, there is no indication from the Government as to when works will begin to protect Mogeely, Killeagh, Castlemartyr and Rathcormac. Ladysbridge and Whitegate also flooded in October 2023, yet they are not even mentioned by the Government as being considered for flood relief. Why are there no timeframes for the protection of these villages, more than two years on from Storm Babet?

The Deputy knows the answer to that. I am as anxious as he is to get a flood relief plan enacted and implemented as quickly as possible. The Deputy does not have a monopoly on concern. I went down to visit and meet with people who were victims of the floods on that occasion.

It might be good to revisit.

The sooner we can get this done the better.

The Deputy has a habit of making commentary that is not accurate and I take issue with that. He did this on a previous occasion in respect of another issue, when what he said was inaccurate and wrong. He is doing it again today in saying I was disdainful. He is saying to the people of Castlemartyr and Killeagh that I am disdainful. That is what he is trying to imply. It is an unnecessarily sly way of doing business. I will be as upfront with him as he is with me in respect of a genuine issue, which the flooding is, no question. However, let us not play sly games with this.

When will there be action?

The Taoiseach, without interruption. This is not a back-and-forth exchange.

This is a serious issue for people. The Deputy should not underestimate my commitment or that of the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, to dealing with it. The Deputy knows it involves a lot of stakeholders and a lot of consultation with people. The sooner we get it done the better and the Government is committed to getting it done.