Minister is failing coastal communities, says Soc Dems cllr Mulville

Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien is failing coastal communities impacted by coastal erosion and flooding, according to Social Democrats councillor for Rush and Lusk, Paul Mulville.

Mulville says that the lack of progress on a report into how the Government can lessen the impact of erosion on coastal communities is harming the residents of several towns and villages.

“In September 2020, Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien announced the creation of the National Coastal Change Management Strategy Steering Group,” he says.

“The group was charged with considering how we can mitigate risks from rising sea levels, and coastal erosion, and was due to report to government within six months.

“At the time, the Minister said that as he himself comes from a constituency greatly impacted by coastal erosion and flooding, he understood the grave challenges it posed.

“The Minister may understand the challenge, but he has not prioritised it.

“Nearly a year after the steering group first met, it has yet to issue its report,” he says.

The National Coastal Change Management Strategy Steering is chaired by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Office of Public Works (OPW) and is consisted of senior Government officials from various departments.

Mulville says that there has been no commitment given as to when the report will be published.

“In reply to a parliamentary question, from my colleague Deputy Cian O’Callaghan, Minister of State at the Dept of Housing Peter Burke, failed to indicate firm date for when the steering group is likely to likely to issue its report.

“He would only say that it will be “later this year”.

“This delay will be difficult to understand for residents in Portrane, some of whom have already lost their homes to coastal erosion with others in a race against time, and the tide, to save theirs.

“It is also difficult to understand for anyone concerned about climate change and how we can best mitigate against the risks it poses.”

In response, a spokesperson for Minister O’Brien said that the findings of the group are currently being compiled.

“To assist and support the work of the group, the Department and the OPW have engaged in a series of bilateral meetings in the interim with relevant Departments and key stakeholders,” she said.

“These bilateral meetings provides an opportunity to discuss the emerging work of the group and to stimulate the most effective engagement of these key stakeholders.

“The meetings to date have been very useful in allowing for issues relating to coastal change management to be reflected upon and explored in the context of the particular operations of the participating organisations.

“The findings of the group are currently being compiled and a report will be presented to Government for consideration later this year.”

The spokesperson for Minister O’Brien did not give a reason for the delay in publishing the report.

Mulville says that recently released reports, the UN’s IPAA and the Status of Ireland’s Climate, highlighted just how severe the problem of rising sea levels is.

“This danger is particularly acute for coastal communities, who are being failed by this government,” he says.

“Time is running out to act.

“The Minister claims to be concerned by climate change, and coastal erosion and flooding, but actions speak louder than words.

“Having specifically cited the hardship being endured by families in Portrane when he announced the creation of the steering group, the Minister should now explain to those families why the group’s report is so delayed and when we can expect to see it.”