Jackie Cahill
Question:14. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of flood relief works on the Templemore to Borrisoleigh road, County Tipperary. [16806/20]
View answerTuesday, 21 July 2020
Questions (14)
Oral answers (4 contributions)
The purpose of this question is to seek clarity on the status of the flood relief works on the Templemore to Borrisoleigh road in County Tipperary.
An application to the OPW was submitted by Tipperary County Council under the remedial works element of the 2017 voluntary homeowners relocation scheme. A letter approving the required funding to Tipperary County Council for proposed works to protect two properties at Borrisoleigh road issued from the Commissioners of Public Works on 13 July last.
When are the works due to commence? These two families have suffered greatly due to flooding in recent years. An elderly couple, a husband and wife in their late 70s, live in one of the houses. Over the past couple of years, when they went to bed in the months of December and January, they were listening to hear if there was a sound of rain falling on the roof. They have been flooded on numerous occasions. While the statement said the work is to be done before July 2021, I ask the Minister of State if this urgent work could be done immediately in order that those two families could have a stress-free winter.
I understand Deputy Cahill's concerns regarding this matter. It was on that basis that the allocation was made by the OPW to Tipperary County Council of €244,950. It is a matter for the council to make sure that the money is spent in the appropriate fashion. I agree with Deputy Cahill that the families at the centre of this have suffered a lot. I hope and expect that the CEO of Tipperary County Council would make whatever arrangements are necessary for the spending of that money as soon as possible, and for the alleviation of the flooding issue at Templemore Road, Borrisoleigh.