Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On the question of EU funding, the Government is reviewing this issue. We have over 100 days before an application can be made from when the initial storm damage was done in the first week of January. Limerick can be included in that.

As to the potential of funding, no one knows until we see the full scale of the damage. We have an initial amount of €65 million for the western counties from the first week of January, but more information is coming to hand. We have an open view about that. If we can obtain funding from it, we certainly will do so.

The Deputy asked me about my views on the €15 million immediate humanitarian aid. This is an immediate fund that we are putting in place. If more needs to be done, more will be provided. It is important, as Deputy O'Donnell stated, that people would start applying for the funds and that they can be turned around very quickly. I am aware some already have done that. The Minister, Deputy Burton, who is responsible in this area, has set up a separate section dealing with this issue in the Ballynanty Health Centre area. I understand they are staying open late. Equally, they have people on the ground to make sure we can turn around those applications as soon as possible.

If we need a separate fund for Limerick because of the scale of the structural damage, that will only become known once the full assessment is in by the local authority. In fairness to the local authority, and the Deputy will appreciate this, it is dealing with this since the weekend. It is dealing with it on a day to day basis at the moment.

There are three categories. There are local authority homes, which are ultimately the responsibility of the landlord, in this case Limerick City Council, and it will have to make applications to us as to what it wants to do with those particular homes. There is no question that the regeneration funds will in some way be supplementing the funds for flood defences but we must have regeneration and flood defence schemes operating hand in hand. As I walked around St. Mary's Park yesterday I discovered that some of the houses were due for demolition anyway because of the regeneration project. We have got to work at that on the same basis.

I met people yesterday who had insurance, and obviously their assessors are in place. We want the insurance companies to pay up in that circumstance.

For people who have major structural problems with their home but who do not have insurance, I would have thought that will require capital funding from the State. It is too early to say whether that can be obtained in the original €15 million allocation but, ultimately, a great deal of damage has been done. Structural damage has been done. Tens of thousands of euro worth of damage has been done to each individual home and if someone does not have insurance, we will have to work out with them exactly what can be obtained in each case as a means of making that house habitable again for that family or individual. I have done my best to answer all the questions.

This will be an issue in the coming weeks and I presume we will return to it.

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