Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I really appreciate Chairman's and members' forbearance in allowing me to contribute. I was watching the proceedings on the monitor in the office and feel there are some points we may need to clarify.

Unless one knows Cork very well – a few of us around this table do – one might think the entire city was under water all at once. That is actually not true. Although there were floods in Blackpool, the city centre and Douglas, these were three separate events, even though the Blackpool area flooded several times. It is important to understand how the city floods. The water does not always come over the quay walls. The water rises because it is a tidal city and is between two rivers, which is important to realise.

When young people were experiencing difficulty getting insurance for their cars a number of years ago, we set out a mechanism to address this and to put in place an appeals system. This was to ensure they could get insurance and it had the dramatic effect of lowering the cost.

I understand fully that insurance companies would be reluctant to include flood abatement measures after a premises has been flooded. Mr. Owens will know that when people start to reinstate their premises after a flood, particularly if that premises is a food outlet, such as a restaurant or delicatessen, they protect against the possibility of a recurrence themselves, where they can. What happens once might not necessarily happen the next time round. On the last occasion, a particular premises was very badly hit because sewage came up. As it was a food outlet, one can imagine the consequences. What I have described happens anyway in that retailers bear the cost of the additional measures, which is important to realise.

Although the OPW is doing what it needs to do, including engaging in ongoing consultation, creating flood plains and taking other measures, I am never certain how a tidal river can be controlled. I am never certain about it because, as has been said, the two causes of flooding can sometimes come into play at the same time. However, greater minds than mine will tackle that.

People clearly cannot continue to operate their businesses without insurance, although I know many do. It must be a cause of constant worry to them. A sinking fund or the type of mechanism we put in place for young drivers refused by three insurance companies should come into play in this instance. It needs to happen while the project is being worked on. I am not certain whether that makes any sense or whether it would be one of the suggestions the delegation would make, but we must consider it.

It was not just the city centre. It involved the two major commercial areas in the city that were flooded, and they are a distance apart. One did not necessarily affect the other at that time.

There is another issue in terms of who controls and manages the waterways. That is not clear. The city council will come out and throw the grappling hooks under the bridges and try to get out as much as it can. Waterways Ireland manages the waterways to a certain point within the city. That clarity must come about. Who exactly is responsible and what is the plan for the management of the waterways? As a result of high tides, heavy rainfall and the release of water, there will be times when there will be flooding no matter how clear are the waterways. That can be managed and explained, and people understand those circumstances. They may not accept them but they understand them.

With respect to solutions, how do we manage to remove risk from people while work is ongoing? When the work is completed, how can we force insurance companies to insure people who have done all in their power to ensure the damage does not happen again? Senator Barrett is quite right. I can have five crashes on the road up and back from Dublin but no one would ever refuse to give insurance because of that. There is a significant difference and it must be about how we ensure people can get cover to continue trading. If this is not done, there will be an impact on the commercial life of the city, and it will suffer as a result. I would like to hear the views on the solution. We can examine the problem from now until Christmas but what are the solutions? How will they come into play?