Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)

On behalf of the Government I express my deep sympathy to those affected by the flooding of recent days. In particular, I express my condolences to those who have suffered bereavement. The flooding has impacted on homes, commercial premises and infrastructure in several parts of the country. The emotional and financial impact on individuals in these circumstances is severe, with many parts of Dublin badly affected. Met Éireann has indicated that the amount of rainfall on Monday was in excess of the total for the same month last year and was extreme by normal standards. Yesterday saw the highest ever daily rainfall recorded at Casement Aerodrome.

Emergency response planning is, in the first instance, the responsibility of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. That Department has informed me that the local authority services responded to the developing situation by dispatching fire services, drainage and road crews to reported instances of flooding. As the evening progressed and the scale and serious nature of the flooding in Dublin became apparent, Dublin City Council and South Dublin County Council activated their major emergency plan shortly after 8 p.m. yesterday evening, mobilised additional resources, including the Civil Defence, and activated local co-ordination arrangements in order to establish the extent of the issues and manage their combined response with An Garda Síochána, the Health Service Executive and the public transport companies, in addition to normal traffic management arrangements. The Office of Public Works provided pumping equipment at the request of Dublin City Council and will continue to provide any equipment or technical resources that may be of assistance and where called upon by the local authorities concerned.

In accordance with standing arrangements, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, as the lead Department for severe weather emergencies, was notified of the declaration of a major emergency. Departmental officials had been monitoring the situation before the major emergency was declared. Following assessment of the situation and given that the problems were confined, in the main, to the Dublin area, where the local co-ordination arrangements of the major emergency plan had been activated, it was decided not to activate the national co-ordination-level arrangements. However, Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government officials continued to liaise with staff in the Dublin local authorities and to brief officials across other relevant Departments.

A post-event analysis of the response to this emergency by the regional emergency authority will be undertaken in the coming weeks, with input from all authorities and the OPW. This will inform the effectiveness of the emergency response and identify any improvements needed. Significant damage was caused over a broad geographic area, including the southern part of Dublin where the rivers Dodder, Poddle and Camac all caused flooding. Transport systems were disrupted as roads and rail lines were flooded and became impassable and signalling systems failed. Dublin City Council's traffic management centre worked with the pubic transport companies and An Garda Síochána to enable people to complete their journey home last night.

The rain ceased during the night and the focus of the public authorities today has been on restoring traffic and public transport to full capacity. Forecasts indicate that up to 10 millimetres of rain will fall today, but further major damage is not anticipated. Nonetheless, there remains some disruption as damage to infrastructure is assessed. Likewise, the task of assessing the scale of the damage to both residential and community property began this morning. When an initial assessment is made, the Government will consider what measures may be required to alleviate the difficulties caused. A report on the activation of the major emergency plan will be prepared by the principal response agencies in accordance with standing arrangements. The OPW will input fully to the review of the response to the emergency.

With regard to the provision of assistance to those affected by the flooding, this is the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection. The supplementary welfare allowance scheme functions as a safety net within the overall welfare system in that it provides assistance to eligible persons whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependants. The main purpose of the scheme is to provide immediate flexible assistance to those in need. The Department of Social Protection can provide assistance under the scheme to households affected by emergency events such as flooding. The type of assistance provided has included the provision, in conjunction with local authorities, of temporary accommodation, and financial assistance towards essential items such as food, clothing and bedding.

While the Department of Social Protection has had overall responsibility in regard to humanitarian aid since 2004, any decision to grant humanitarian aid is a matter for the Government. Until such time as the full extent of the damage is ascertained, the need for such a scheme cannot be determined. Arising from the 2009 floods, some €1.65 million in emergency payments was provided to more than 1,300 households throughout the country. The Government will look sympathetically on a request for emergency financial aid should it be made by those authorities closest to last night's events.

The OPW has responsibility for capital flood relief activities, in which it has invested more than €218 million in the last ten years. This has resulted in the completion of several flood relief schemes throughout the State which have brought much needed relief and peace of mind to residents and business owners in those areas. Dublin City Council and the OPW recognise flooding as a significant risk for the city and are pursuing a programme of structural flood relief works to reduce flood risks in areas throughout the city. Work on the lower stretch of the River Dodder has been ongoing since 2007, in association with Dublin City Council. The completed works in the Irishtown area mean the general area was free of the flooding arising from the severe weather in recent days. Relief works on further stretches of the River Dodder are in the planning stage and we hope they will be implemented in due course. The OPW has also profiled expenditure for 2012 on the River Wad in the Donnycarney area, where flooding has occurred on several occasions in recent years. A scheme has been designed by Dublin City Council and agreements are being finalised with local stakeholders on its progression.

In addition to these capital schemes, a national programme of catchment flood risk assessment and management, CFRAM, is being commissioned by the OPW throughout 2011. The OPW appointed engineering consultants, RPS, in May 2011 to undertake the eastern CFRAM study. This work will identify and examine in detail the causes of flooding throughout the eastern river basin district catchment area and provide an integrated plan of specific measures to address the significant flood risk factors in a proactive and comprehensive way. The consultant is currently gathering flood event data to analyse what happened and to design solutions for flood risk management measures.

It is often necessary to address localised flood problems in a catchment that require immediate attention pending development of a CFRAM study or where a capital scheme may not be appropriate. To this end, under an initiative announced in 2009, the OPW has provided financial and technical assistance to local authorities to carry out studies or works to address localised flood problems. This scheme is open to all local authorities and will provide them with resources and access to appropriate expertise to develop and implement flood mitigation measures.

From 2010 to date, the Office of Public Works, OPW, has allocated funding of €1.35 million to four local authorities in Dublin and Wicklow to address flooding problems in those regions. The minor works scheme was introduced in 2009 to provide funding to local authorities to undertake works and studies to alleviate flooding problems within their administrative areas. A number of areas have availed of this source of funding from the OPW and have been protected from recent events.

The Office of Public Works is assessing a number of applications from the local authorities. A funding application from Dublin City Council for works on the Santry river in Raheny, with an estimated cost of €150,000, is currently under consideration. Two applications with an estimated total cost of €670,000 from Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council for coastal works at Corbawn Lane and a coastal study are also being assessed. In addition, a further six applications from Wicklow County Council, estimated at €570,000, are currently under consideration. All applications are being assessed having regard to the scheme criteria and the availability of funding for flood risk management.

I reiterate my deep sympathy for people who have suffered loss or hardship as a result of the flooding and affirm my determination and that of the Government that a thorough review of the response by the relevant agencies will be carried out to ensure that we understand what we got right and what we got wrong and also that sufficient funding is put in place to remedy those issues where they arise.

See this speech in context