Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)

I join with my colleagues and thank God nobody was badly injured or killed. However, I have some serious issues to raise about the situation in my constituency. I thank the statutory authorities, the gardaí, Civil Defence, the Army in the barracks in Clonmel, the fire service, local authority staff and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul for the huge effort they have put in from Thursday night last, following a meeting which I attended, when a major plan was put in place under the guidance of Supt. Eunan Dolan. Thankfully everybody concerned was rescued and brought to safety and food and other essential items provided. There was flooding not only in Clonmel but in Ardfinnan upstream and in Knockavilla which resulted from bad planning. My colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Mansergh, alluded to that during the during the weekend. I commend him, the Taoiseach and the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, on their visits to different areas and empathising with the people. There are many issues that have to be dealt with.

As Deputy Tom Hayes said, it is futile that the rivers are not being drained and the basins cleaned. Many people objected to such work in Clonmel when the scheme was under way. These objections will have to be overruled in future because people's properties and homes that have been flooded seven or eight times are far more important to me as a public representative than some other issues about what might be at the bottom of the river. Older and wiser people always did that work when they had only the horse and cart and shovels. If we cannot be done now with earth moving equipment, we must re-evaluate and change our attitudes on some of these situations.

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