Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I join all Members in complimenting the staff of the various local authorities and the emergency response agencies for their response to the situation. I ask the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to suspend all inspections for the time being. A property that was extensively damaged was inspected for fencing. It is beyond me how any inspector could drive into an area to look for fences when he could see the damage that had been done by the storm. There needs to be a suspension of inspections for a time to allow landowners to restore their property.

Fishermen have been seriously affected, in particular small-time fishermen along the Mayo coast from Louisburgh up to Belderrig. They have no other income and their pots and nets have been destroyed. Some form of funding needs to be available to help them to replace their equipment.

I remind the Minister of State that there is concern about the impending spring tide. The projections are that this year's spring tide will be one of the highest in decades. Much work will be required in the next weeks to protect coastal defences ahead of that spring tide in order that further damage can be avoided.

Houses on the west coast have been destroyed by the storm and the owners may not be aware of the existence of hardship funds. It would be beneficial if the Department or the Irish Red Cross were to provide information about the hardship funds available to help in the restoration of houses.

It is not good enough that, as of this morning, Eircom has 1,000 customers in County Mayo who remain without service. It is the State telecom company, although it has been privatised and it dances to a different tune now. It has the customer base on the basis of having been the State monopoly and it needs to up its game, so to speak. We all noted the work done by the ESB workers to restore service throughout the Christmas period in horrific weather. Eircom needs to be given a message from the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources that it should get its act together and up its game. The telephone landline is the only means of communication for many people.

Those of us who live on the west coast have found it extraordinary to witness at first hand the power of nature and the damage it has done in a relatively short period. As a country and as an island nation we must take coastal defence seriously and put it top of the agenda. I acknowledge that previous Governments also did not give it priority but it must be a priority for the Minister of State.

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