Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

I join with other colleagues in offering sincere sympathies to the families of Garda Ciaran Jones and the young Filipino woman who lost her life in this tragedy. I do not know whether the Minister of State has seen the film "Groundhog Day". It is a film in which a repetitious cycle of the same day is played endlessly. That is really what the situation is like. In my constituency, all across Cabra, the Navan Road, Blackhorse Avenue, East Wall, Sheriff Street and Drumcondra, flooding occurred and one could have predicted to a household those that were going to get flooded because it had happened before. Any reflection on the emergency response or assessment of the works done to date by the State have to be taken in conjunction with that reality to the forefront of our minds. Houses that had been flooded were flooded again and unless we change the way we do things and invest in preventative measures, they will be flooded from here to eternity.

I do not have the words to describe not just the tearfulness, but the sheer misery only a few short weeks from Christmas of households that have been flooded and the consequent disruption for families. Many of the households have no insurance cover. I welcome the fact that the Minister is in discussion with the Irish Insurance Federation. Let us be frank: sufficient resources have not been invested in flood defence because of the State's coffers. I dare say the Minister of State will not be able to put his hand on the kind of resources that need to be invested. We have potentially a number of families who cannot now get insurance. What is the State going to do about that? I suggest to the Minister that if the commercial insurers will not insure those homes then the State must.

I ask the Minister for Social Protection to issue clear instructions to community welfare officers to actively assist those individuals and families affected by flooding and that they do not block them with endless red tape, complications and bureaucracy. People have lost virtually their shirt. Their homes are destroyed and they need immediate assistance.

The criticisms of Dublin City Council have been fairly made in the Chamber today. I share the concerns expressed. Equally, it should be said that Dublin City Council is working under considerable financial constraints with the loss of overtime and the recruitment embargo, and it is also dealing with all of the other State agencies such as the emergency services that are understaffed and under resourced. When the Minister of State undertakes a review of the emergency response, he should by all means call each of those agencies to account - that is as it should be - but he should also analyse the Government's performance and what needs to change in respect of resourcing the arms of the State correctly and also supporting families who are now not just tearful but raging that yet again they are put in that position.

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