Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy O'Connor. I know Youghal pretty well. I was there a few weeks ago for the launch of the SIRO network. I was standing outside Deputy O'Connor's office from what I can remember. Youghal needs to be a target for us in terms of enterprise development and opportunity growth. It is a super place to live but we need more employment opportunities there. Many people living in Youghal drive west towards Cork to the big employer areas, such as Carrigtohill, Littleisland and other big industrial estates around Cork. There was a time when Youghal had significant employment. I will raise this matter again with IDA Ireland. There are competitiveness issues with regard to proximity to the airport in Cork and the road network. Some of the issues Deputy O'Connor has raised, with regard to a need for a bypass of Castlemartyr and Killeagh, are absolutely justified. We need to work through the issues around the national development plan to try to make it happen.

With regard to the flooding, one thing I would say is that as well as the Irish Red Cross scheme, which of course we fund, Microfinance Ireland is also there to support businesses in the aftermath of the flooding. It can make low-cost loans of up to €25,000 available to businesses to help them get them back on their feet quickly. Often cash flow is an issue in getting retail outlets restocked at short notice. They need cash quickly and they need it at competitive loan rates without long application processes. Microfinance Ireland has come under the parentage of the Department. It used to be independent of the Department and now it is very much part of it, even though it is still an independent commercial operator. This is another opportunity for businesses that I would refer to.

Individual cases have been raised with me by various people, including Deputies Stanton and O'Connor. I had a meeting with the Irish Red Cross last week or the week before to try to get clarity on some of the areas where flexibility is needed. We needed to make calls within the rules and parameters of the scheme because anomalies were coming up. My understanding is that the case referred to by Deputy O'Connor has been sent from the Irish Red Cross to the Department for assessment. We will take a look at it. I do not want to speak about an individual case, apart from the fact that we will try to be as helpful as we can.

The Government made a decision that landlords, so long as they are registered, should be considered as businesses under the scheme. This has not always been the case in the past. If, because it has been significantly damaged structurally, a landlord needs to invest in a premises to make it fit for a functioning business, there is no reason that landlord should not be supported through the scheme with regard to the costs being incurred. I hear what Deputy O'Connor is saying with regard to a business that has two elements to it, one being the ownership of the premises, which effectively makes it a landlord renting to another element of the business. We will take a look at it. I do not want to give an answer on the hoof. It is something that is in the system for consideration.

With regard to interim measures for Midleton I know, because I have spoken to Cork County Council, that it is doing extensive work on what happened and what it can do in the short term, without long processes, to try to de-risk Midleton for further floods. These are measures such as making sure the rivers flow properly and if they are silted up clearing them so that the drainage systems work as they should. It is looking at the potential for single direction valves on some of the flood relief piping. Cork County Council is looking at a range of measures. There will be a cost to this, as well as significant costs for fixing the infrastructure that has been very badly damaged, particularly roads and bridges. There will be a significant bill coming to the Government from Cork County Council in this regard. Certainly the engineers are getting advice and doing what they can. I am sure they are also speaking to the OPW about what we do in the interim while we are waiting for a comprehensive OPW flood protection scheme to go through the planning process. I hope that will start in the first quarter of next year. It is under active consideration.

A number of businesses have experienced damage way beyond the €100,000 ceiling. We have increased the humanitarian support fivefold in response to what happened in Midleton. The limit was €20,000 for the past ten years. We changed this and increase it fivefold to €100,000. The State needs to be cognisant of the fact that the insurance industry also has a responsibility. We cannot pick up the tab for everything. Getting €100,000 to businesses relatively quickly is a significant contribution to help the vast majority of businesses to get back on their feet quickly. We are being as flexible as we can be about the qualification criteria.