Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

No, I was not. I did my bit. I was filling sand bags at the local depot in Ballybough, helping local residents when the local authority left them a little short of sand bags. In fact, I was out virtually the whole night working to alleviate the flooding.

The flooding was severe. Homes were invaded by water and many people were imprisoned in their homes as the water flooded in. The flooding was very sudden, particularly in the area of Ossory Road where the water came from the Royal Canal, and it caught many residents unawares.

Various surveys have suggested that, statistically, this type of flooding should not happen more than once every 50 or 100 years. However, we have already had two similar occasions of flooding in the space of two years. There is no guarantee that it will not happen again within another couple of years. Therefore, it is particularly important that preventative measures are put in place.

Dublin City Council and the Office of Public Works are working together in this regard. I understand there was a sharing of costs between them with, I presume, the lion's share of the cost being taken by the OPW. Perhaps the Minister would enlighten us on the cost of the work that must be done.

Can the Minister clarify the flood prevention measures that have already taken place? What level of dredging has occurred? What can be done about the flood plains that previously took away the surplus water which has now begun to flood through tight channels into Dublin causing flooding?

The East Wall road is very low, about two feet high, and this is a source of grievance for those living the area. People feel that flooding similar to that of the 1950s might occur if there is a high tide and the Tolka floods. There is also a danger of flooding to the Royal Canal from the sea and high tide as has happened before. What measures are being taken to alleviate the possibility of flooding occurring again?

Householders are experiencing real problems in obtaining insurance, in particular from Hibernian and Cornmarket brokers. If somebody sells their home, the newcomers will be unable to get insurance. The insurance is not being carried on because of the fear of future flooding and premia are being raised. It is one thing not to have flooding but quite another to have the fear of flooding impact in an adverse financial manner when people seek insurance at a decent rate. It is important that measures be put in place and that the Minister does something to ensure that insurance companies do not increase rates on the one hand and refuse to insure on the other.

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