Anne Ferris (Wicklow, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Every part of the country has been mentioned today during the flooding debate. I wish to speak on behalf of the people of Bray. As the Minister of State is aware, the long-awaited flood protection scheme in Bray was halted last year when the contractor, SIAC, went into examinership. There had already been significant delays to the project before then and although the scheme was supposed to be completed last autumn, it is only 35% complete now. In recent weeks householders and business operators in the low-lying parts of Bray could do nothing but hold their breath, wait, hope and pray to the eight patron saints of flooding that the River Dargle would not burst its banks and flood half the town. Like many other Deputies I have been receiving telephone calls from constituents all afternoon who are concerned about the strong winds and rain in County Wicklow.

The River Dargle has a major flood cycle of approximately 25 to 30 years and according to the laws of hydro-science we are now overdue a major flood in Bray. Few among those of us who were flooded out of our homes in 1986 during Hurricane Charley want to relive that experience.

I received a handwritten note from the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, during a previous debate on this issue. He promised in the note that he had ring-fenced in his budget the money needed to complete the €28 million Bray flood prevention scheme. I thank the Minister of State for his commitment to the people of Bray. Needless to say, this handwritten note is now one of my treasured possessions. It appears now that the scheme will not be completed until late 2015. In many cases insurers have refused cover to Bray residents and business owners during this period of delay.

Late last year I wrote to the Minister of State asking him to consider carrying out a hydraulic assessment of the flood relief works carried out to date on the River Dargle. The purpose of such a study would be to inform insurance companies of the scientific basis to the claims by Bray Town Council that the 35% of the project completed to date had indeed reduced the flood risk. The Minister of State replied on 4 February stating that such a study would involve detailed hydraulic modelling at a cost of between €35,000 and €40,000 and that the results would be obsolete as soon as further works were carried out. I appreciate that the budgets of the Minister of State are constrained by the plight of thousands of people throughout Ireland affected by the disastrous flooding this winter and I sincerely sympathise with those people. However, I believe the expenditure of a relatively small sum to secure flood insurance for a large number of people would indeed be value for money if a serious flood was to occur in Bray any time between now and 2015. Bearing in mind that the budgets are tight, I call on the Minister of State to consider this proposal. I understand that the design engineers for the flood relief works, Halcrow Barry, have already prepared a comprehensive model of the river and the future affects of the designed improvements. This model could be used - it has already been paid for out of the contract - to predict the effects of elements of the flood protection works already carried out. It could then be given to insurers to help reduce the flood risk in Bray for insurance purposes. I call on the Minister of State to strongly consider this proposal.

I thank the local authority staff in County Wicklow for all their efforts in protecting the people who have been affected by the adverse weather.

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