Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will make a brief comment on that. This is a big issue within the Department because, as the Chairman is aware, we are responsible for bringing forward major capital schemes on flood alleviation. This is a huge part of what we do, in conjunction with local authorities, which effectively become the funding agents, but we fund them on many schemes. We started a process of negotiation with the Irish Insurance Federation last year and talks are ongoing. It is a matter of great concern to me that we have not managed, thus far, to bring the discussions to a satisfactory conclusion. It is a disgrace that where the State spends significant sums of public moneys putting in flood alleviation measures to a standard for a flood event of one in 100 years -----