I rise to speak about the flood relief scheme in Bandon. It has been an ongoing issue for the last decade if not more and there has been a stop and start situation in the scheme for the last three or four years. Work began four years ago but people were pulled off-site. There has been major concern in Bandon over the last week at the lack of progress and as rumour spread that there were negotiations between the OPW and the main contractor there was fear about where this might lead. I am aware the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, is working behind the scenes to ensure the contractor stays on-site and the works continue in Bandon but it is important this House would look at this issue and that of contractors going on-site and the possibility of them moving off-site in situations like that. It is a key issue in major infrastructural projects that are planned and a situation where we might not be confident that the same contractor would finish a job is a big issue. The Minister of State, Deputy Seán Canney, should come to the House not only to discuss this issue in Bandon but also other issues relating to the OPW and its contractual arrangements with other major contractors. It is a major fear in some communities that these contractors might pull off-site because prices have gone up and there is a competitive issue in the market since they quoted their prices.

It is important that the Minister comes to the House. I hope the Leader can arrange that the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, sheds light not only on what is happening in Bandon, but on the OPW projects and how we can ensure they will be delivered. There is a fear in some communities that contractors who go on site might not stay on site.

It might be an appropriate matter for a commencement debate, if Senator Lombard wishes to table it in the near future.

As far back as late November, I raised the plight of the cereal and grain farmers in the west who suffered tremendous losses last year due to the severe inclement weather. There was a lot of crop lost on a strip of the west coast. This issue was raised not only by me, but by several others on numerous occasions both in this House and in the Dáil. There is agreement in theory and I believe there is money available to compensate these farmers. As late as yesterday, the farmers' representative bodies met with departmental officials as to how the money will be paid out in compensation. Following that meeting, the farmers were extremely frustrated because no progress was made and they are no closer to a decision on how, when, how much and to whom the money will be paid. What seems to have developed is a scenario of "live horse, and you'll get grass".

We are in the planting season. The farmers who were most severely hit last year do not have the cashflow to purchase fertiliser, seed or in some cases the diesel for their tractors to plant this year's crops because they have had absolutely no income from last year's crops. In order for those farmers to survive and have a harvest in 2017, they need this money now. It will be no good to them in two, three, four or six months. They will have gone out of business. I plead with the Leader to use his influence with the Minister to progress this process. To repeat, in theory the money has been agreed and is there, but there seems to be major confusion as to how it will be paid out. It is "live horse, get grass" for many of those farmers at present.