Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)

I am delighted to have an opportunity to reply to the matter raised by the Deputy. By Government decision in December 2010 in respect of insurance matters, the previous Government agreed with the Office of Public Works that the latter would continue to progress spending on flood relief works for worst affected areas in a structured way to reflect priorities, taking appropriate account of catchment flood risk assessment and management studies, as this approach presents the most cost-effective solution to the current difficulties some people have experienced in trying to get insurance cover. It also was agreed by that Government, of which the Deputy was a member, that the Minister of State at the Office of Public Works - the Deputy has rightly pointed out that I hold that office and I am fully aware of it - would take the lead role in the continuing discussions with the insurance industry about the provision of insurance cover in areas in which remedial works were being carried out, supported by the then Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, the Department of Finance and the OPW. Moreover, the OPW would put in place a regular and structured communication process with the Irish insurance industry to ensure a regular flow of information to insurance companies assessing the risk of flooding to homes and businesses. It is noteworthy to recall that the previous Government, which included the Deputy, specifically decided not to pursue any other options to address the issue of insurance cover, which speaks for itself.

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