Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

I extend my sympathies to the family of the 35 year old woman from Parnell Road who drowned in the flooding last night and to the family of Garda Ciaran Jones who died in the line of duty working heroically to prevent the lives of other people being endangered.

First, in my constituency of Dublin Central virtually the entire area was flooded to a greater or lesser degree. Cabra, the Navan Road, Ballybough, Botanic Avenue, North Strand and East Wall were all badly flooded. This is the fifth flooding in ten years. Why does that position still pertain if that degree of flooding is taking place? Second, why were sandbags not available for Cabra or the inner city which would have alleviated the problem and may have prevented many houses being flooded? People were prisoners in their own homes. They had to use bed clothes and various garments to try to keep the water out and had to sweep it out themselves.

I am glad to hear from the Minister for Social Protection, who has just arrived, that short-term measures will be available through the supplementary welfare scheme to allow people deal with issues such as temporary accommodation and financial assistance. How extensive will that fund be available to people in need because enormous damage has been done to residents' homes, property and so on?

What will be done to alleviate this problem in the future? We do not want to hear again and again that this is a once in 50 or 100 years event. This is becoming almost an annual event - effectively every two years in my constituency. We will have to bite the bullet and address the issue of the structural works that will be required to deal with this matter once and for all.

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