Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the officials for coming here today. I put on record our gratitude to the public servants who have gone above and beyond the call of duty, not just those from the Department of Social Protection, but also those from the Department of Defence and the various emergency services. The country has experienced fair devastation in the past month. I am thankful that my colleague raised the issue of the fishermen, as I had not considered how they must have suffered.

A county councillor brought to my attention an issue that is analogous to some of the other stuff that has been said - the cost of running pumps. He adverted to a person who had six pumps running. The person is self-employed and will not qualify under the means test. I agree with Deputy Jim Daly that there should be no means test where that sort of devastation is concerned. Family lives are destroyed. That is not an issue for the officials from the Department of Social Protection but more an issue for what goes on here in Leinster House.

The cost of keeping pumps running 24 hours a day and seven days a week during a crisis such as this is considerable. We are penalising those who save their homes purely because they would not qualify under a means test and because they have gone the extra mile to keep the pumps running to keep their houses dry. Entire families have, literally, had to abandon their jobs to keep the house dry. There are simple things such as covering the cost of running the pump and compensating them in some way for lost income.

I appreciate what the officials have said. Like Deputy Daly, I know the community welfare officers go out of their way to try to assist people in every way they can. However, sometimes the officials' hands are tied. Is there some methodology that the officials wish us to push forward on their behalf in order to give them some more flexibility in dealing particularly with those who will not qualify under the means test and whose only cost was the additional fuel they had to buy in order to keep pumps going?

I am horrified at the means testing. I have seen the devastation of flooded houses and it is pretty frightening. I am glad there is something there for landlords. I would not be a great favourite of the capitalists of this world, but my concern is for those living in rented accommodation. However, I am mindful of the "sale agreed" sign in the middle of a lake in the midlands, which indicates that the land has planning permission for 98 apartments. There will be a lot of that sort of stuff around the place.

Is there something we need to do that will give the officials more flexibility? Have there been requests under the means test that they have had to refuse?