James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important debate on the recent flooding and severe weather conditions. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Perry, to the House.

When severe weather conditions hit, it is essential that the State bodies act on the principle that fore-warned is fore-armed, be well prepared and in a position to react efficiently and promptly. The management of severe weather conditions, such as those that occurred in November 2009 and January 2010, last month and again today, require a combined effort between the individual State bodies, businesses, farmers, charitable organisations and so on, which must lead by example with positive, effective action.

A worrying thread running through the response in 2009 and 2010 and again in the last few weeks by the various bodies that have a vested interest in the Shannon - over 40 such bodies in total - is the tendency of these State bodies and Departments to define their responsibilities in terms of what they do not include, rather than what they should do collectively. The State has a responsibility to prevent the hardships and devastation caused to families and individuals in areas like west Longford and south Westmeath, where roads have been washed away. I was out last Saturday and the Saturday before and I took several photographs of the devastation caused to families and individuals, which I will show later to the Minister and the Minister of State. Business owners and home owners who have enough to worry about as it is, must also fight to guard their properties from flooding, from rivers bursting their banks, from high tides. This is totally unacceptable and must not be repeated. That is why I strongly believe we need a River Shannon authority.

In that regard, I thank the Ceann Comhairle for affording me an opportunity to raise this issue in the Topical Issue debate last week. A Shannon authority would have overall responsibility for river management and development in the Shannon catchment area, from the source of the river to the Shannon Estuary at Limerick. It would also be charged with establishing a flood alert system as part of a national system to increase awareness of potential river flooding. The authority could alleviate flooding in the Shannon basin in urban and rural areas by co-ordinating water levels on the entire river throughout the year.

The River Shannon is the lifeblood of the midlands but unless it is properly managed and placed under the control of one single authority, the river could become a liability and the devastation caused by the flooding that has destroyed housing, lands and other properties could recur. This devastation has resulted in a loss of income for already hard-hit farmers, businesses and householders, as is clear from the photographs I took last week.

In 2010, the then Joint Committee on the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, following consultation with the various agencies, prepared and presented a report on severe weather events to a number of Departments, the Office of Public Works and local authorities. The majority of members believed that the report's recommendations, if implemented, would allow us, at least partially, to manage future severe weather events. Over the years, most flooding events on the River Shannon have been followed by various reports but little or no action. It should be noted, however, that the current Minister is taking more of a hands-on approach than his predecessors did. I had reservations about the report published by the previous Government because it again sidelined the issue of establishing a River Shannon authority. Having made such a proposal a number of times over the years in both the Seanad and Dáil, I was disgusted by the stock answer I received from the then Minister who spoke of co­ordinating flood risk management, with the Office of Public Works as lead agency, and embarking on the development of a catchment flood risk assessment and management plan for the River Shannon. We had heard all of this before.

Deputy Ó Cuív's grandfather once spoke of draining the River Shannon but this never came to pass and one no longer expects that it will be done. What is required is a management structure to manage the Shannon water course. A number of local authorities have emergency plans in place to deal specifically with flooding and severe weather emergencies. These plans are not being integrated with the relevant bodies and State agencies. Such integration is essential if the response to major emergencies is to be comprehensive. Effective leadership must be provided by one authority. As someone who lives in the Shannon catchment area, I have held this view for a long time.

A River Shannon authority should oversee and sponsor an independent review of the technical and engineering role of the ESB's hydroelectric schemes in view of the conflicting requirements of electricity generation, flood management and the provision of water supplies by the controversial new company, Irish Water. Such an authority would assess the effectiveness with which rivers and inland waterways are managed, controlled and regulated, thereby eliminating the multi-agency approach that is not getting us anywhere, as has been demonstrated by developments over the past 90 years. The River Shannon catchment area has been experiencing the same problems since de Valera was in power. We should learn lessons from the Netherlands, much of which is below sea level, and its approach to addressing the issue of flooding.

It is important that the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government improve funding to local authorities by reimbursing emergency response costs. It must also ensure that urban wastewater and drainage schemes are planned and flood risk management fully assessed. The onus is on the Government to implement real and substantive plans to manage the River Shannon and prevent serious flooding in the Shannon region and other flood prone regions. Appropriate early warning systems must be introduced and flood mapping work must be updated to reflect localised risks. It is essential that the future management of severe weather conditions is as effective in practice as it is in theory. While much has been written about flooding, there is little evidence of action being taken. Flood defences, for example, should have been constructed long ago. I visited families in Athlone in 2009, 2010 and again last week and have witnessed the horrific effects flooding has on morale and livelihoods.

It is a matter of concern that insurers are refusing to offer flood cover for properties in flood risk areas. This leaves many people having to foot the bill for flood damage. Standard home insurance policies offer flood protection as a routine benefit. Renewing an insurance policy will become considerably more difficult for those who have been affected by flooding. It is standard practice for insurance companies to ask people applying for insurance cover if their property is located in an area with a history of flooding. A survey of eight insurers conducted by the National Consumer Agency last August found that not one of them would offer a quotation for a property if the householder had previously made a claim due to flooding.

The Office of Public Works spends approximately €40 million per annum on flood protection and the Government is set to invest a further €250 million on flood defences over the next five years. While this is welcome, real action is required because people are fed up. Public meetings are called every time a crisis occurs but very little action takes place. This must change.

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