Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

Assistance is already being provided by officials the Minister for Social Protection has deployed to deal with this matter. The Government discussed this matter on Tuesday, 25 October. It is intended that the particular needs of people who found themselves in extreme difficulties as a result of the floods will be addressed. The Departments of Social Protection and the Environment, Community and Local Government and the Office of Public Works, OPW, are working on some remedies in respect of this issue.

The other matter on which we are working and on which we will be receiving a report in the near future is that of the difficulties some householders - as a result of the fact that their homes were flooded last year - have faced in obtaining insurance. These people's homes have been flooded for a second time but they now have no insurance. We are considering what can be done to address the insurance requirements of those householders going forward. Proposals are being developed for people who found themselves in extreme difficulty.

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