Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)

Last November serious flooding took place in my constituency in the Claregalway, Lisheenavalla, Caherlea and Carnmore areas in County Galway. The first anniversary of this flooding passed on 20 November this year and we are still awaiting confirmation of what type of relief work might be done, with nothing done as of yet.

Up to 20 families had to leave their homes at the time and some have abandoned their homes completely, living in rented accommodation while continuing to pay mortgages on the houses affected by flooding in the area. I am aware of two families in the Caherlea area whose insurers will not cover them for flood damage, quoting increases from €500 per year to almost €2,000, which is a 400% increase in premiums. These houses are worthless and people could not sell them even if they were offered for sale. Some people are very anxious to get out of the area but the Government has not provided for any relocation scheme. If a property tax is introduced in the upcoming budget, how can people be taxed on a worthless house?

Last November saw the worst flooding in a number of years but there have been threats of flooding and flooding in the area on five different occasions in the past ten years. It is constantly under threat. Two weeks ago the water rose in the area and people were worried again. This problem will not go away. People are living in constant fear and despair, which is why some sought relocation which they did not achieve. Some of the affected people would leave those houses and gladly take some of the properties owned by NAMA just to get out of the area and have peace of mind. They do not want to live in constant fear that the flooding will occur again; there is no doubt that the flooding will return. Despite this, not a spade has been put in the ground to give those people some hope.

I received correspondence from the Minister of State on 4 November, for which I thank him, but I was not very encouraged by it. The letter indicated that the main stumbling block is archaeology and it seems that Claregalway is an archaeological hot spot, with a preliminary geographical and topographical survey having been carried out. The results have been forwarded to the national monuments unit in the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, which will decide on whether future investigation and monitoring is necessary prior to and during the proposed work.

Has the appropriate Minister received the report? We are sick and tired of seeking and waiting on reports. The Minister of State indicated it was not possible to give a timescale for the advance works due to the uncertainty associated with the archaeological work. He also indicated that the Office of Public Works is in the process of procuring environmental and engineering consultants needed to complete the scheme design.

How much has already been spent on the reports and any work done since the flooding? I was involved in a similar case in south Galway in 1995, when the entire area flooded, with a national school and nine houses cut off for nine weeks. The local people at the time carried out an unofficial drainage scheme, opening a channel from Kilternan national school to the sea. That area has not flooded in subsequent years, despite the fact that last November all other areas in south Galway were under six feet of water, a greater depth than the flooding in the 1990s. That is proof that the work can be done.

South Galway was in my constituency at the time when the Peach report was commissioned by the Government, costing €1.2 million. No work has been carried out in the area since. The people of Claregalway, Lisheenavalla, Caherlea and Carnmore are worried that no work will be carried out. They are living in fear and I would like the Minister of State to give me an assurance tonight. We have had many public meetings, with the Minister of State attending at least one of them in Claregalway. Great hope was given to the people that those works would be carried out but nothing has been done.

I fear very much when I hear of preliminary geographical and topographical surveys. I have met such work before in the wildlife section of the Office of Public Works but it bogs down schemes. Are people's lives not more important than these surveys? They are and people should not be condemned to live in fear of nothing being done to alleviate problems. I hope the Minister of State will have some news for those people tonight.

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