Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I got a chance to visit Galway and Clare last Friday. It was a useful visit and I met many people over several hours. A good deal of damage has been done. In the case of farmers and inspections, we have been very clear with our inspectors that they must be flexible and take account of the extreme weather that we have had in recent months in the course of their inspections and assessments, which they must make legally in the coming weeks.

In the case of land eligibility, if a farmer has had boulders come on to his land from the beach as a result of high tides and stormy conditions, then, obviously, that must be taken into account in a way that is understanding of the extreme weather.

Other areas of consideration include fodder and animal welfare. If any farmer has an animal welfare concern, he should call our animal welfare hotline and he will get help from us. Many farmers have full slurry storage tanks at the moment but have wet land as well and that is an issue. They should be talking to their Teagasc advisers about how they can and should manage that properly.

There is also an issue with piers and harbours.

There will be statements in the House tomorrow regarding the Government response to the storms and flooding problems we have had for a number of weeks. We have examined in detail piers and harbours along the south, south-west, west and north-west coast and the repair work that is necessary from a safety and infrastructure point of view. I will make a detailed statement on that tomorrow.

Many island fishermen have also lost gear. We are unable to put a financial package in place to replace boats under state aid rules but we may consider giving support for the replacement of pots, in particular, that have been lost at sea. BIM has tried to assess the losses and has reported to us in detail. I will also give more information on that tomorrow. We are trying to ensure as comprehensive a response as we can. Finding money in government is difficult for obvious reasons, but in an instance such as this where there are clear priorities around extreme events that need Government support, such support will be provided.

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