George Lawlor: Minister Blamed for Enniscorthy Flood Failures
George Lawlor criticised the ministerial response to repeated flooding in Enniscorthy, accusing ministers of shifting blame and calling for urgent intervention. He said responsibility was being deflected onto Mount Aram and Wexford County Council while a promised flood relief scheme remains undelivered.
Allegations of blame-shifting
George Lawlor told colleagues that the minister with responsibility for the National Emergency Coordination Group blamed Mount Aram for recent floods in Enniscorthy, and that the same minister later issued a statement effectively blaming Wexford County Council for the absence of a planning application for a new flood relief scheme.
Flood relief scheme briefing
Lawlor said he attended a meeting on 15 April in Enniscorthy with the minister and senior officials of the OPW, where new flood relief scheme plans were outlined to public representatives and Wexford County Council officials. He emphasised that those present had been briefed on the scheme but that delivery remains outstanding.
Appeal to the Tánaiste
He urged the Tánaiste to intervene directly, saying the long-suffering homeowners and businesses of Enniscorthy deserve better and describing the situation as an ongoing nightmare. Lawlor questioned what hope residents have when ministers overseeing responsible agencies do not take responsibility for their portfolios.
Government response and coordination needs
The responding minister acknowledged the repeated flooding and noted government funding of 51 million euro aimed at delivering a flood relief scheme. The minister said comments about Medair were not intended as blame but called for clearer coordination of information - including around a yellow rain warning - and urged cooperation between local authorities, Medair and the OPW. The responding minister also confirmed that a minister will visit Enniscorthy to engage directly.
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Yesterday on South East Radio we had Minister Brown, the Minister with Responsibility for the National Emergency Coordination Group, laid the blame for the flooding of his hometown of Enniscorthy, the latest, as we know, flooding incidents of his hometown, firmly at the door of Mount Aram. Incredibly, today, on the same radio station, Minister Brown, the Minister with Responsibility for Local Government, issued a statement effectively blaming Wexford County Council for the lack of a planning application for a new flood relief scheme. On the 15th of April last, I attended a meeting in Enniscorthy with Minister Boxer-Morne and senior officials of the OPW, where they outlined the new flood relief scheme plans to public representatives and, indeed, Wexford County Council officials. Tawniste, the long-suffering people of Enniscorthy deserve much better than this. When a Minister in control of agencies and departments with direct responsibility won't take responsibility for their portfolios, what hope do they have? Please, Tawniste, can I ask for your direct intervention to resolve this dreadful, ongoing nightmare for the homeowners and the businesses of Enniscorthy? Well, thanks, Deputy Lawler. I mean, firstly, I recognise absolutely your characterisation of this as an ongoing nightmare for the people of Enniscorthy. At a time that has been flooded so, so many times, Government announcements that have made, Government funding that has been put in place, the 51 million euro, and people want to see the flood relief scheme delivered. And I know we have that as a shared objective. I listened to the Minister's comments in relation to Medair, and I mean, my view of what he said was, certainly not blaming Medair, but my view is we do need to have a discussion about the information that we can put out there. With a yellow rain warning, that's not a criticism of Medair, but with a yellow rain warning, that's very different in the context of flooding when river levels are so high. And I do think we need to see how we can all work together, local authorities, Medair and OPW Government, at a time when we're seeing many more frequent adverse weather events. I know Minister Boxer Moran is visiting Enniscorthy in your constituency today to engage directly.
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