Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

I thank the office of the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter and acknowledge the presence of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan, in the House. As Deputy Buttimer outlined, people in several parts of Cork woke up last Thursday morning to devastation caused by floods. Flooding occurred in Douglas, Togher, the Kinsale Road, Blackpool, Ballyvolane and Clonakilty in west Cork. The Minister knows the heartbreak it causes for people when their homes are damaged and personal belongings that can never be replaced are lost forever due to flooding. Many businesses, particularly those in the retail trade, were affected by this recent flooding when they are already struggling. Some cannot even get insurance and now face possible closure as a result of these recent events.

The wider community was also affected. For example, Togher community centre was destroyed. A major clean-up is in operation so it can be opened as quickly as possible. Does the Government intend to make any practical assistance available to those affected by last Thursday's floods? When a serious flood event occurred in Dublin last year, a €10 million assistance fund was established for home owners whose properties were affected. Does the Government have plans to bring forward a similar measure in order to assist the people of Cork who were so badly affected by the floods on Thursday morning last?

Deputy Jerry Buttimer referred to the culvert in Douglas which was only completed in the past 12 months. The county councillors who represent the area were informed that it had been designed to withstand a one in 1,000 year event. Such an event has taken place in the first of those 1,000 years. It is clear that the culvert failed the first test mother nature visited upon it and that the people affected must live with the consequences. There are questions which must be answered about the culvert and the value for money aspect.

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