John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

I am not aware of any such impact. I am looking at the number of applications approved in the areas affected by floods. In County Clare the number of applications under the special incentive scheme was eight; in Cork county there were 15 and in County Galway, four; therefore, they will not have an impact. The number of approvals under the career break scheme in Cork city was 16. The sector is working to balance the need for reduced staffing levels with the need to provide services to expected levels. In this context, local authorities have refocused programmes and staffing to priority areas. They have sought to eliminate and curtail programmes and services of a more discretionary nature and have been active in seeking to support enterprise and protect employment locally by redeploying staff accordingly. They have continued to provide and maintain a wide range of services, notwithstanding the Government's policy of reducing staffing numbers within the public sector. Staff have also been redeployed from areas of lower demand to facilitate cost reductions. Examples include the redeployment of planners to business support units such as in Meath County Council and the redeployment of housing staff from Wicklow County Council to recycling functions in Bray.

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