Ruairí Ó Murchú
Louth · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“It was hardly a shock to me and many others that he decided that the simplicity that was asked for by Sinn Féin last week, such that we would consider preparations for Irish unity, was not acceptable. Most people would see this as a possibility, even those who do not necessarily like the idea.”
“I welcome that. I have spoken previously to the Minister about the necessity of providing Mr. Delaney's report on the incident to Natasha and the wider family.”
“We will all be very interested to see what the new circular is. The Minister of State said it will be announced in September. A needs-based system is what we need. I would like to think the young boy I talked about would be able to avail of this. I will use him as an example. The correct assessments were carried out.”
“We just need to make sure that the circular is fit for purpose and that the young primary school child to whom I refer will be given the supports he requires. I will just finish reading from the communication to which I referred earlier.”
“We need to ensure that the engagement with Lebanon is ongoing. Are we happy with the interaction with the UN? There had been some issues relating to the coroner's court. Everyone needs to do everything that can be done to ensure truth and justice for the family of Private Seán Rooney.”
“I thank the Ceann Comhairle for all the flexibility she allows in this Chamber, and hopefully that will continue as we speak. I welcome an awful lot of what Deputy Devlin said.”
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“Alongside and long before that, we have many cross-Border issues, particularly in a constituency such as mine, that relate to taxation, benefits, insurance, etc.”
“I welcome what the Taoiseach said in the sense of supporting a public inquiry into the murder of Sean Brown. We have all heard about the huge level of collusion, the number of agents who had information and who had been involved in this and the questions in relation to surveillance. The question I have for the Taoiseach is on whether this is Government policy. On that basis, how does the Taoiseach intend to engage with Hilary Benn and the wider British Government because we have to deliver for the family of Sean Brown who have been failed over the past 28 years? I would also put it to the Taoiseach, as I have stated previously as regards Irish unity, that we have to deal with the constitutional issue and he has to come up with some means or mode where we can have the conversation on what constitutional change would look like.”
“It has been a very good year, even for Louth hurling. However, we do not have a county stadium. When I brought up this issue with the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, he said that LSSIF funding would be determined on the basis of budgetary conditions, and we all understand that. However, when I dealt with the issue with his predecessor, the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, he spoke about the fact the Louth county stadium, alongside Drogheda United, was on the reserve list. It is absolutely necessary that they are on the reserve list if funding becomes available or else top of the list for the next round.”
“I add my voice to the condolences to the colleagues and family of Garda Kevin Flatley. It reminds us of the dangers that gardaí face every day. We can see the recent work that has been done in my constituency in dealing with incredibly serious organised crime, and I commend the Garda on that. Our thoughts are also with the families of the two teenagers who were lost in Donegal. As my constituency colleague has stated, in case anyone needed to be told, it was an historic weekend for Louth after 68 years, and all the sweeter for it. I am delighted that the Taoiseach welcomes this and has forgiven Louth for 1957. Beyond that, he sees the necessity of a county stadium. It has already been stated that we have the under-20s, the minors, the ladies football and the camogie, as soon as sense prevails, and I commend the players in that regard.”
“My question is about Private Seán Rooney. The Tánaiste put in the public domain the fact that he was having engagements in Lebanon and that he was dissatisfied. The family and the rest of us all want to see justice. We have not seen that progress. I believe the Tánaiste and the Government are dissatisfied. How did the engagement go there? Has he any update on the post-incident internal inquiry? I think there is a bit of time still to run on that. I ask particularly about the engagement with the UN from the point of view of ensuring that the information would be provided as was required by the coroner. I think there was an initial discussion on a framework, but we also want that information to be supplied to the family. I believe the family are also looking to travel to Lebanon.”
“I am always curious as to how the National Cyber Security Centre fits in with the piece of work the Defence Forces have to do.”
“I appreciate the answer, particularly the statement that we still have more to do. Obviously, we are starting from a point of view of legacy issues as regards pay and conditions. Has any detailed study been done of the reasons for the discharges? As much as there was an improvement last year, and we hope for a greater improvement as regards recruitment versus discharges this year, we have a significant journey still to go. Then it is a matter of, on the basis of where we are at the minute, through forecasting, when we think we will have the numbers within the Defence Forces that we require even in relation to LOA 2. The Tánaiste mentioned earlier the national security framework. How exactly will it operate in relation to the cybersecurity framework? When will we have some sort of detail as to how that will look?”
“Could the Tánaiste detail the plans this year as regards funding, resourcing, recruitment and retention at the Defence Forces? We all know that if we take this over a five-year period, we have had more losses than we have had recruitment. It is a huge issue. We are well away from reaching what is necessary for level of ambition 2. I think that at present we could be below the numbers required even for level of ambition 1. What is to be done?”
“A lot of us like the idea of gardaí, councillors and all of the necessary stakeholders being involved but there are issues relating to the membership and how the partnerships are going to operate. If action needs to be taken, it should be taken quickly in relation to how they are going to operate. That needs to happen as soon as possible. The problem is that the joint policing committees, as imperfect as they were, are not sitting in County Louth right now. We can all have ad hoc relationships with gardaí and others, but at the end of the day these are necessary forums. We need to have an interim solution with the JPCs and then make sure we have a finalised, operating, fit-for-purpose system in the form of community safety partnerships.”
“Crime is an incredibly serious issue that many of us are dealing with at the minute. Yesterday in my own constituency, 20 pipe bombs were found in a ditch behind a property in Ardee. This happened after great work by An Garda Síochána in relation to a significant drugs find. It shows the reality on the ground, particularly when combined with an incident last Friday in Ardee in the early hours of the morning between 4 a.m. and 4.40 a.m. Gardaí are looking for information because a garda on routine patrol was injured in a hit-and-run incident. That case has moved on and our thoughts are with that garda. It shows the reality that gardaí are dealing with at the minute. I would also like to bring up the issue in relation to assaults and arson in north Louth. My question relates to the community safety partnerships.”
“It is necessary that LSSIF funding would follow through for the stadium in Dundalk. My understanding was Louth GAA and Drogheda United were on that reserve list. The argument that was made was shovel-ready projects would get first dibs but given what is happening, particularly with Louth stadium, the first phase of which will be under way, we have to consider additional funding. We have to make sure that happens. I want to find out whether my understanding is the case. Are we talking about the LSSIF being opened more regularly, that is, on a two- or three-year basis, and that we know that is happening? We know the huge piece of work that needs to be done not only with Drogheda United but, hopefully, with an opening for Dundalk FC, which also needs to have huge works done at Oriel Park.”
“Does the Minister of State have any further update on the timeline and how projects on the reserve list, such as Louth GAA, could get further? Even beyond that, what timeline are we looking at for the reopening of LSSIF into the future? The idea is to make sure that we are talking about projects that are ready for the road, that are fit to be built straightaway and that there are no delays with.”
“The Minister of State might have an interest in a particular game at the weekend, I would imagine. We will all be glued on Saturday to the match between Armagh and Donegal. It should make for a very good weekend of football. I commend the work done by Louth GAA and the teams under Fergal Reel, Ger Brennan and Johnny Clerkin. I wish them the absolute best of luck and we all hope for a great game of football. From a Louth point of view, death or victory is what we require. We all welcome the engagement and the package agreed for the first phase of development of the Louth GAA stadium in Dundalk. It is €24 million. I am aware that Louth GAA is on the reserve list for the scheme and I would like to think that decent consideration would be given to this.”
“This has been a really great time for Louth football. We had the Leinster final win by the under 20s against Meath, the minors won last night against Dublin and are now through to their Leinster final and, hopefully, an historic injustice will be righted on Sunday against Meath. I would say there is much support around the House on this. It is vital that the GAA stadium in Dundalk is delivered upon. While there has been good news from Croke Park, it is about ensuring the Government is playing its part in it.”
“A lady told me: I have my son's name down on every creche list in Dundalk, some since I was 12 weeks pregnant. We have no place for him when I return to work. I do not have sufficient time to continue, but the reality is that this is a mess and the system is not working. We need to consider AIMS from the point of view of making it fit for purpose because there are serious failings there.”
“We do not have a fit-for-purpose childcare provision system in this State. It is failing and I will provide examples of how that works in the real world. One person told me: Regarding the ongoing struggle we are facing in securing childcare for our 12 month old son, his name has been on multiple waiting lists since November 2023 while my partner was still pregnant. Despite regular follow-ups, we are now being informed that while this was initially a 12 to 18-month waiting list, this has been extended to 18 to 24 months. Another person wrote: My partner, a nurse and midwife currently working in Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda, has already taken extended unpaid leave to care for our son. She must return to work in June or her contract will be terminated. That is the reality that family is dealing with.”
“I also have a question, possibly, on the issue of artificial intelligence. I imagine that the Tánaiste might not be able to answer in full at this point but addressing the issue is absolutely necessary.”
“I would think that most right-thinking people will offer support. Let me refer to a very serious issue. It concerns one of my constituents who contacted me. She had been working for Liberty IT as part of Liberty Mutual. She believes that in her section, which is in Dublin but with an awful lot of remote working, about 100 jobs are gone, and possibly another 20 in Cavan. She would have dealt with claims related to home protection and such in the US. In a six-minute meeting, the staff were told the jobs in question would be outsourced. I suppose the fact that we are dealing with an American company – I have spoken to the Minister about it – raises questions over whether this is part of a wider issue. I ask that all the supports necessary be offered in this case and that we facilitate people’s return to employment, if that is possible.”
“I take this opportunity to commend the Louth under-20s and Fergal Reel, their manager, on what was obviously a fabulous win in the Leinster final against Meath. The minors are playing in the quarter finals tonight against Westmeath in Hunterstown and I hope that goes well. We obviously have an historic injustice that needs to be dealt with at the Leinster senior final on 11 May.”
“Another man spoke to me about historic abuse, both physical and sexual, within a school setting. He brought the matter to the attention of An Garda Síochána but it has not been progressed. He is not even sure whether the inquiry that is to occur in respect of sexual abuse in schools will relate to him. I ask the Minister and her Government colleagues to ensure that there is communication with the people involved in these two cases. I will pass on the details in order that matters might be progressed. We also owe a duty to Grace. We must ensure that there are no more Graces in the future and that we do not fail our most vulnerable, as we have being doing for far too long.”
“The Taoiseach spoke recently about how he does not necessarily see commissions of inquiry or investigations as the means of providing justice and the answers that are required by those people who survived the abuse of Michael Shine. It is up to the Government to find a framework for how we deliver in this regard. In the context of the issues with CHI, a man came to me and spoke about how he had been placed in a hospital setting. The doctors told him that they find the details of the operations which he has undergone and which have impacted his life incredibly strange. He also spoke about what I will just refer to as treatment, although everyone can imagine what happened within this setting. I will be looking for Government engagement at an official level on this case.”
“A social worker warned again in 2007 that Grace was vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, but she was not moved until 2009. For any right-thinking person, there is obviously no defence of this in any way, shape or form. It is about where we go from here, however, and ensuring that we do justice by Grace. Beyond that, we must ensure we fill those gaps that currently exist in respect of the protections for those most vulnerable. We are talking about both children and adults in this regard. While things have improved, they have not improved sufficiently. We cannot just address this in the way we address many other matters in the context of learnings. The onus is on the Government. Many people have spoken about some of the many other failures of this State.”
“They also spoke about the absolute necessity of mandatory reporting in respect of those citizens within residential settings. It is hard to comprehend how there are no findings from this report, that there are no findings on the failure by those employed by the State to look after and to care. In 1989, around the age of 11, Grace was put in this house. Like my colleagues, I find it very difficult to see how you could call this a home. She was placed there and we hear that, due to numerous allegations, in 1991 a determination was made that no other children would be placed in this set of circumstances. No social worker visited Grace in this placement before 1995. She was not removed from the foster care family when a complaint of sexual abuse was made to the South Eastern Health Board against Mr. X in 1996.”
“We need to go through the ins and outs of the abject failures. A report has been produced. There have been multiple complaints regarding the lack of an executive summary. We have multiple lawyers representing Grace. We have those who have never commented before in the State legal infrastructure. We have whistleblowers who are saying this was not worth doing. That is on the basis of the result we have at this point in time. The onus is on Government to stop this continuation of failure and to deliver. As Deputy Cullinane stated, it is an abject failure that we do not have the safeguarding legislation required. Many of us were at an event with Care Champions this week where family members in the audience spoke about the serious failures they have encountered due to the lack of safeguarding legislation.”
“It is incredibly difficult to listen to these issues. In fairness, it is not subject matter I am particularly comfortable dealing with in any way, shape or form. It is absolutely necessary that we have this opportunity and that we get down to the brass tacks of the absolute failure. In speaking about this, we need to make sure that everyone remembers Grace. She was a young girl with intellectual and physical disabilities. She was non-verbal, which put her in an incredibly vulnerable position. I cannot even imagine what this was like for her, nor the difficulty for members of her family who are constantly retraumatised by dealing with this. As a State, we have to deal with this. I am very glad to hear from Deputy Cullinane and from the Minister that Grace is now living a fulfilling life, which is what she deserves.”
“This is not the first time we have been in here in respect of the State's abject and absolute failure of the most vulnerable in society. We have a report and my colleagues and others have stated eloquently how it has not done the business it was required to do. The report has a massive cost of €13.6 million and makes the finding of an absence of oversight and monitoring of Grace. We know the reasons the commission was engaged in the first place. It was because there were allegations of brutal assault, physical, sexual and financial abuse. There has been mention of what is sometimes put down as regular negligence. Even dealing with the failures around oral hygiene and so on, that would be sufficient for this to be an absolute disgrace, but we are talking about an extremely wide level of abuse.”
“Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí - To discuss the need to safeguard our energy security in light of recent events in Spain and Portugal. Deputies Thomas Gould and Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire - To discuss the closure of the tenant in situ scheme in Cork city. Deputies Louis O'Hara and Mattie McGrath - To discuss the contract for international protection accommodation provision at the Merriman Hotel in Kinvara, County Galway. To discuss the contract issued to Dundrum House Hotel for IPAS accommodation. The matters raised by Deputies Michael Cahill, Colm Burke, Louis O'Hara and Mattie McGrath, Aidan Farrelly, and Naoise Ó Muirí have been selected for discussion.”
“Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty - To discuss the need for an inter-city stop at Adamstown or Kishoge train stations. Deputy Martin Kenny - To discuss the failure of HSE mental health services to carry out serious incident reports. Deputy Louise O'Reilly - To discuss the need for primary care services in Fingal West. Deputy Aidan Farrelly - To discuss the controls in place in respect of the sports capital grant programme. Deputy Colm Burke - To discuss inclusion of the shingles vaccine in the national immunisation programme, drug payment scheme and medical card scheme. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan - To discuss organised crime in Limerick city. Deputy Darren O'Rourke - To discuss the removal of SNA support for children at St. Patrick's National School, Stamullen, and changes to SNA allocations generally.”
“I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss the scheduling of apprenticeship carpenters, electricians and other trades for off-site training. Deputy James O'Connor - To discuss school transport issues in the Kilcredan National School catchment area. Deputy Gary Gannon - To discuss the lack of suitable afterschool facilities in Dublin 1. Deputy Malcolm Byrne - To discuss the basic income scheme for artists. Deputy Joanna Byrne - To discuss unsafe working conditions at the ambulance station in Drogheda. Deputy Eoghan Kenny - To discuss proposals to restructure District Court services in district No. 21. Deputy Donna McGettigan - To discuss the ambulance service in County Clare.”
“I will restate the question I asked earlier. We all know there is a huge amount of vacancy. Even if there have been improvements, when this workforce report was carried out there were, I think, 529.72 whole-time equivalent positions. We need to really ensure that is dealt with. Even if we fill those positions, though, does that mean we have a CDNT system that is actually able to deliver for those who require the assessments and then the therapies? The therapies are meant to follow but we know they do not at the moment. There are also a huge number of schools saying they do not know where to put kids until they get an assessment. This is a huge issue across the board and unfortunately I feel like a broken record in here constantly repeating the same questions, but we need to get to a better place.”
“I will ask the question again: if we fill all of these positions, will we be able to offer the service that we need to offer on the basis of the need? We need to get real about school-based therapies. Has there been much engagement with the Minister for Education on delivering something across the board that is fit for purpose?”
“We all know the issues with regard to recruitment and retention but we also know the absolute need that is out there and the abject failure there has been for many years, which continues at this point in time. Everyone would say it is beyond doubt that we need to engage in domestic and international initiatives, and we should be looking at every sort of pipeline to ensure we can get as many highly trained OTs, SLTs, psychologists and other specialists as possible. This would ensure we could deliver everything from assessments, even if at times it meant we had to look at the method by which we carried out assessments, right through the system to provide fit-for-purpose therapies. However, there is a particular issue as to how we deliver this.”
“Beyond that, if those positions are filled, will we be able to provide the correct service in regard to assessments of need and therapies for those children with autism and their parents?”
“We all welcome increased recruitment but the fact is that whatever the figures say, we have all been inundated with requests from parents who cannot get assessments or therapies for their children. We all know the issue. We have all had an over-and-back in regard to the fact school-based therapies could deal with some of this issue. However, if we look at the recruitment levels on the basis of how this happened last year, it would take at least two years at the same speed to fill the gaps and achieve a complete workforce. Again, that is only on the basis of the numbers that are set out at present. Given there will constantly be a need for these reports, we need to see real movement in this regard. Can the Minister give any sort of timeline for when those positions will be filled?”
“I am looking for the figures on unfilled positions within each CDNT in the State. Obviously, we had the workforce report from last October and that has since been published. The big question concerns the numbers that were outstanding. At one time, it was almost 530 positions. Even if those positions are filled, are we able to provide the service that is required through the CDNT system?”
“That second opinion stated there was no significant dysplasia in their child's hips and did not recommend any surgical intervention. In fact, the second opinion stated that to do so would only be potentially meddlesome. That is fairly clear. I know this issue and some of the other issues I have raised have been brought to the attention of the Minister. We need clarity on the audit and beyond, because it must extend further than just the period of 2021 to 2023. We need to ensure that we detail all of these cases. I will give slight detail of the case of a man who contacted me. It is an historical case. He contacted me after I did an interview on a local radio station, LMFM, about CHI. The man's mother died when he was six months old. He had meningitis at 16 months old and as a result, began having problems with his hip.”
“I had an opportunity earlier to discuss this issue and I discussed my constituent, who luckily got a second opinion for his daughter who was at that stage three years and three months old. She had been engaged with Temple Street since 2016 when she was 14 months old. I put some of this information on the record earlier. At the end of 2018, the doctor recommended proceeding with a Salter osteotomy bilaterally. That is one of the brutal operations we are talking about with the cutting into the hips and all that goes with that. There are long recovery times and enormous impacts. The child in question now does gymnastics, which I doubt would have been the case had the surgery that arose from that particular diagnosis gone ahead. The doctor gave the diagnosis in April 2019. Luckily, the father and mother sought a second opinion.”
“I know but the daughter involved has undergone two surgeries. The week before the story broke, the surgery, for which she had been waiting for three years, was cancelled with 24 hours' notice. Dealing with Temple Street is like dealing with a sheet in the wind. Everything is a sort of vague response.”
“Initial x-rays I would consider to be normal, the ossific nucleus are both present As people can guess, the person who gave the second opinion ultimately said there was no need for an operation. That father is obviously very glad that information is with the Minister. We need to look at a greater level of audit. Obviously, the period between 2021 and 2023 does not look like it will cut it. I reiterate what a number of people said about the huge pain that has been caused by correspondence. I want to very quickly raise what another one of my constituents brought to me.”
“It requires sawing into her hip bone and reshaping the socket to hold the ball of her joint more securely. Luckily enough, the father did what I might not have done in the circumstances. I might have just taken on board what the doctor said, but he got a second opinion. This stated that: On examination, she is a bright, active, young lady who walks well. She has no leg length discrepancy. She has full abduction at the hips. She has no instability. Internal rotation to 80°, external rotation to 60°. She doesn’t hyperextend the knees. She has a nice shape to her foot and ankle. In her upper limbs, she has no hyperextension at the elbow … I have had the opportunity to review her series of x-rays, most recently taken in December 2018 going back to when she was 14-months old.”
“I refer to a family in north Louth who just want put on record what could have happened to their daughter, who was with Temple Street from when she was 14 months until she was three years and three months, that is, from 2016 to 2019. A doctor initially did not like creases in the legs and referred her on, which was the right thing to do and part of due diligence. I have here a frightening diagnosis this child got. It says she was three years and three months old and had bilateral acetabular dysplasia, which was more marked on the right than on the left. It is stated that there had not been much improvement over the last few months and that it was recommended to proceed with Salter osteotomies bilaterally. You can imagine what that involves.”
“Deputy Cullinane and my other colleagues have dealt with the gamut of failure in respect of scoliosis operations, the lack of such operations, the time children lost and the great impact this had. We have also heard about the significant capacity issues there have been and the non-medical grade springs that ended up in three children and the untold impact that had. However, I will deal specifically with those children who may have gone through operations they did not require for hip dysplasia. Thanks to Deputy Cullinane, this issue has been raised with the Minister. Deputy Doherty also brought it up on Leaders' Questions.”
“We have had contact with members of the child's family, but we need anyone with information to come forward. There were also the recent arson attacks in Doolargy in north County Louth. We need a fit-for-purpose structure and we need engagement on the part of elected representatives and other stakeholders in the context of ensuring that we have a fit-for-purpose operation, which is not currently the case. The local authority will speak about the fact that it is not sure how exactly the community safety partnerships are going to get up and running.”
“This is not the first time I have given out about the divisional structure. I have said many times that I am not sure the most sensible solution was combining Louth and Cavan-Monaghan into one area with a single superintendent. We all get the idea of streamlining, but the issue, as Deputy Carthy said, is that the number of gardaí to operate the system is insufficient. There is a major issue with community gardaí - we do not have enough of them - and with specialists units. We await the arrival of community safety partnerships. There is huge unease about the fact the joint policing committees, JPCs, are not meeting. An absolute requirement we have is that there be engagement. If someone googles Dundalk and north Louth, they will read about recent violent assaults. I hope the victim of one of these assaults is doing well.”
“That is only one part of the danger in this regard. Therefore, it is how we set out with a real plan on delivery as regards innovation and beyond, but also that we have that regulation to protect those who are vulnerable at this point in time because of big tech. Many times it will go where the money is and not necessarily where people's rights are.”
“The AI Action Summit issued the Statement on Inclusive and Sustainable Artificial Intelligence for People and the Planet. That sounds wonderful. It is how we deliver it and what our plan is in this State in that regard. We all know the dangers of artificial intelligence in the sense that it is the garnering of information and machine learning on a huge level, or on steroids for want of a better term. That can be used for good and ill. It is how we wed the absolute necessity that we are part of this in the context of innovation and the breakthroughs there may be in medicine and education and all around while, at the same time, having sufficient protective regulation. We have all seen the damage that has been done and we all know there are insufficient supports and protections in what social media companies can do at this point.”
“They just want to know that they will, if they follow decent planning conditions, be able to build and live in the areas they are from. It is necessary. We have to look at planning as it concerns the modular and log cabin-type buildings discussed earlier. Like everyone else, I have been contacted by multiple people. We need to get on with that work. I understand it is a solution for a small number of people but it is necessary. We need to look beyond what is being spoken about at the moment.”
“The tenant in situ purchase scheme was a means of saving people from homelessness. It is frightening that Louth County Council, which was provided €18.884 million last year for social housing acquisitions, has only been provided €12 million this year. That is a reduction of 36%. The previous Deputy spoke about the tighter constraints and conditions. In my engagement with Louth County Council, it said it will be able to apply this scheme to fewer people. People in the same circumstances as those who previously were saved from homelessness will not be saved now. There needs to be a rethink of a scheme that actually saved people from homelessness. I ask for a timeline for the publication of rural housing guidelines. We were told they were with the Attorney General over the summer. We all know the difficulties people have.”
“It always happens when the electricity is cut off that there is a logjam in the system and that must be addressed. I have spoken many times about the brown water in Dundalk, which relates to manganese. There is a pilot scheme, and I am told there has been progress in terms of finding a solution.”
“Recently, an Bord Pleanála refused to give permission for a development of 500 houses on the basis of the insufficient capacity. As the Minister of State is aware, in the Haggardstown area, temporary initial water treatment systems are being installed. Residents are opposed to this. It is a significant issue in the sense that it could lead to added costs for housing if developers have to pay for such systems. These are issues that need to be addressed. I ask the Minister of State to address them. We had flooding issues in the Cooley Peninsula at the end of 2023. Parts of Dundalk were almost flooded because of the inability to get rid of wastewater. This is an issue that requires to be addressed. I have raised the issue here previously in regard to Hackballscross during Storm Éowyn. It took days and weeks to deal with the issue.”