Ulick Burke (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I intend to focus on the southern part of the constituency of Galway East which has been afflicted by severe flooding on numerous occasions. The Taoiseach and the Ministers present seem to have avoided the anger of the people of south Galway on their visits in the past week. The people there have been let down on many occasions in the past with regard to drainage and flooding and have no confidence in any promises from visiting Ministers. At present, 65 major routeways, 40 secondary routes and numerous county roads have been blocked in County Galway, isolating communities and individual farmsteads.

The idea that the Government will now provide a €12 million humanitarian effort and €2 million for farming is derisory. Every penny of that €14 million could be spent in the parish and area between Peterswell to Kiltartan and down to Craughwell to compensate adequately the people who have lost property and farming income as a result of the floods. As we speak, a five metre high flood streams down the main routeway and has pushed aside a retaining wall on the main routeway and it is not finished yet. The Minister should recall the events of 1995 when this money is being allocated. At the time the Red Cross provided relief and it was fair and efficient in the administration. I call on the Minister to consider the Red Cross as the appropriate agency through which relief is made. The Minister of State, Deputy Martin Mansergh, stated the OPW will shortly engage consultants but I remind him of what took place in 1995. Some £1.2 million was spent on the Peach report, the outcome of which was nothing but a cost-benefit analysis suggesting no work should be undertaken. A shovel or spade was never put into the ground in south Galway to alleviate flooding. I trust this will not happen again.

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