Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

It is appropriate that the Dáil has given time to discuss this issue this week. Undoubtedly, the damage caused by the recent severe weather has acted as a body-blow to communities throughout the country. People have lost their livelihoods and some people have effectively lost their homes as a result of the damage. It is important that we utilise the time well. It is not good enough to offer these people sympathetic words, as much as they would appreciate it. What people need to know from this discussion is what will happen next in terms of providing the backup to assist in the urgent remedial works that are necessary. More important - the point was touched on by other Deputies - is the question of the systems that will be in place to minimise the chances of the same level of damage arising in the event of recurrences. That is critical.

I offer briefly the example of the devastation caused in my area in the coastal community of Portrane. A letter from one resident summed up the situation well. He said he was born there in 1952 and that he has lived there all his life. He said that he has seen the coast eroding over the years but that he had never before seen the devastation of the past two weeks. He said the community was now at the point of no return and that the next storm would surely breach the dunes. He pointed out that if the winds had not been favourable this time, the dunes would have been totally destroyed. The warnings have been made. The local community has fought a determined battle in recent years to try to get the establishment in Fingal County Council and at Government level to take action to deal with coastal erosion. Since that action was not taken, the community is now paying the price. The lessons must be learned. The community fought long and hard to get a report and a survey to determine what steps needed to be taken to deal with the damage that was being done. A report was issued last August but it has simply lain there since then. If some of those findings had been implemented, who is to know whether the terrible situation that the residents are now in would have arisen? We must take that on board. We now have a scenario whereby properties which were not in the firing line are now in the firing line, although they were never subject to erosion before. Erosion at the south end of the beach is only yards from the roadside and chunks of ground have been washed away. Trees that were there some weeks ago are now gone. The boardwalk and steps down to the beach have been completely washed away. Homes are in grave danger as is a mobile home park there.

The community has responded with heroic efforts, coming out to try to stem the tide, but we need support in that venture. While Fingal County Council has said it will come up with some moneys, I want the Minister to deal with the point. If he is not too busy talking to his friend there, he might actually listen to the question. Seemingly, funds are available under the minor repair works programme. The report from the Department states that the funds are available for repairs to built flood defences and coastal protection structures. The reality is that this community has been exposed because there are no defences. The defences there were natural, dunes which have been eroded over the years. The measures have not been put in place to deal with that. Since there is no built defence in place, what the community wants to know is whether they can get access to these funds to redevelop the area. This is desperately needed. Otherwise, we will have major costs in the future. Homes will have disappeared into the sea next time around if the Minister does not listen.

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