Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)

I recognise that staff on the ground did much hard work but, unfortunately, the response was poor. Many people in my area have been flooded three and four times. They are not insured not because they did not want to pay, but no insurance company would give them cover, despite having carried out extensive work. I welcome the Minister's response to that issue and suggest the need to move on quickly and look at ways of helping people. I was in the home of an 84 year old gentleman whose neighbours helped to lift the furniture out of his house. He had no household insurance because he cannot get it. That is horrendous.

The response was poor. If it was vandalism, I committed vandalism last night. I went along with other residents and we hacksawed locks off containers to get sandbags, even though I had been in touch with the council at earlier stages. For me to have to lead a group of residents to cut locks off sheds in order to get out sandbags is unacceptable and needs to be accounted for.

Irish Rail built a dam underneath the DART bridge in Ballsbridge and Ballsbridge has been flooded yet again - I will pass on the information to the Minister of State. A dam continues to be in place. Who gave Irish Rail the permission? Why did it not respond? There must be accountability. We cannot push this further down. After 2002, people were given a guarantee this would not happen again. After Hurricane Charley, the people were promised it would not happen again. We have a responsibility to get to the bottom of this issue. We need to hold the insurance companies accountable.

I ask the Minister of State to head up his Department and ensure that many areas of Dublin are not flooded again. I welcome the Minister for Social Protection to the House. There is a large job to be done by her Department. As I said earlier, many vulnerable people have not got the money to get back on their feet. This is the third and fourth time this has happened. I ask for as generous a response as possible. It is difficult for residents but I ask that she speak with her community welfare officers. Many who will be in tears in the coming days do not know how to get back on their feet. I ask that her community welfare officers to respond in the best manner possible.

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