Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

Local emergency plans are in place. Up to this weekend, the experience is that they have been working very well. That is the general view of people on the ground. There may well be individual cases of continuing hardship or delay in getting to those affected by floods. In many cases, however, priorities have to be established at local level concerning the protection of installations and the provision of water supplies. A number of steps had to be taken and this was understood by many residents, who themselves were under pressure and in difficulties, when they heard that other things had to be done in the first instance. People had a sense of organisation and co-ordination about what was going on even in the midst of their own difficulties when flooding was starting to affect their own private property. I understand the Deputy's view of what happened in his own locality, but my distinct impression based on visiting and talking to people on the ground is that there was a fair deal of satisfaction. This is a continuing problem and it is not as if we can discuss it as if it is over. When people's difficulties are not being solved as quickly as they would have hoped, it can cause frustration and other problems to arise as well. It is an ongoing situation and matters on the ground can change very quickly, too.

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