Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)

I am glad of the opportunity to add my voice to the concerns in regard to the devastation that has taken place in the past week due to the bad weather conditions. I am pleased to welcome the two Ministers with responsibility in this area, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, and the Minister of State, Deputy Mansergh. In my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny there was much devastation, particularly in Carlow town and in many other small towns in Carlow and Thomastown in south Kilkenny.

On Friday last, I had to visit five families with young children in rural areas who were flooded. If and when funding becomes available, I hope these rural areas will not be forgotten. I realise that Carlow and cities such as Cork and Galway have suffered enormously. People whose houses were never flooded previously had to move out of their houses. I ask that all local authorities carry out a survey to ascertain why the flooding took place and that any funding that becomes available would be directed towards those areas.

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