A coastal erosion and flood risk management study for Inishbofin, which was approved for funding in 2015, has still not been carried out, a situation a leading Galway TD has called “disappointing”.
According to Fianna Fáil Galway West TD Éamon Ó Cuív, €90,000 was approved by the Office of Public Works under its Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme. The TD raised the issue in the Dáil and was told by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe, that “it would appear” the Galway County Council has “not completed this study or submitted any results of the study to the Office of Public Works”.
“Serious damage was caused on Inishbofin during the severe storms of December 2013 and January 2014 and “there is an urgent need for this repair work to be carried out,” said Dep Ó Cuív. He highlighted the East End pier, which was destroyed in those storms. “The study is essential in assessing whether to rebuild or replace the pier completely,” he said, “as it provides vital protection to houses in the area and is also needed by local fishermen. This delay is disappointing and I will be pressing that the matter will now be addressed as a matter of urgency.”
