Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

It is fair to say there was an immediate response to the emergency over the weekend but it came from local authorities, Civil Defence, local bodies, neighbours and others who came together to help each other out in what was an unprecedented weather event.

It is something, however, that we will probably have to learn to cope with.

I listened to the Taoiseach's replies to Deputy Kenny and he said that the Government would assist in every way it can. The point, however, is that the Government needs to take charge of this matter. A number of things need to be done. First, there is the urgent matter of restoring drinking water supplies. Approximately 18,000 households in Cork do not have drinking water at the moment. Second, there are the immediate needs of people who have had to evacuate their homes due to flooding. They require short-term accommodation and assistance to repair their flooded homes. The question of insurance also arises in this respect. Somebody in the Government needs to talk to the insurance industry immediately to ensure that claims are processed promptly and that insurance companies are not holding back on such claims. In addition, people affected by the floods will need financial assistance while their insurance claims are pending. We know from our experience of past cases that it can take some time before insurance claims are paid. In the current economic circumstances, many households and businesses may not have access to alternative funding sources, either to get houses repaired or businesses restocked in the run up to Christmas. Financial assistance is needed even in the form of advance payments anticipating claims that will eventually be paid by insurance companies.

I appreciate it is early days but I am not sure the fund announced today is adequate, or that the method for accessing it is appropriate in all cases. It seems to me that €12 million will not go very far, given the scale of devastation we have seen in recent days. I would like to hear more about the role of community welfare officers. I suspect that people who have gone through the trauma of having their homes flooded will not necessarily want a vigorous means test from a community welfare officer. On what basis will those officers extend this funding?

What will be done to accelerate flood protection projects to ensure that as many people as possible can be protected from a recurrence of these events? It is fair to assume that if there is a repeat of these weather conditions the areas that suffered flooding this time will also suffer again if flood protection measures are not taken. We know, for example, that the measures taken in places such as Kilkenny, Mallow and elsewhere have worked. It is, therefore, urgent to accelerate flood protection works so that the next time around the damage will be minimised.

There are also longer-term issues, which were well expressed at the weekend by the IFA president, including drainage and water courses. These matters require attention. I appreciate that the recent rainfall was unprecedented, but we have been talking about reducing carbon emissions in the context of climate change. The reality is that the effects of climate change are now with us, yet we do not seem to have been adequately prepared to deal with the consequences.

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