Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity of speaking in this important debate on flooding and the urgent need to do something for all the families affected by the recent floods.

In recent weeks we all have seen the horrific consequences of flooding. First, my heart goes out to all the families and individuals who suffered and had their homes badly damaged or destroyed in the recent floods. The job of the Government and the local authorities is, first, to help the families in immediate need and sort out their difficulties and problems. Once this is resolved and the families are helped, we have to move on and deal with the broader flooding issue. Objective one is help those families that got hammered in the recent floods and objective two is come up with common-sense flood defence plans.

We need to deal with the issues of flood prevention, drainage and proper flood barriers. That is the way to deal with this issue. We need a proper and informed debate as this is a very serious matter.

We also need to look at examples of best practice in dealing with the flooding problem in this country. Recently, I have seen in my constituency, Dublin Bay North, two examples of good practice and bad practice. First, there was the bad practice in the proposals of the Clontarf area where they went ahead with the plan without consulting all the residents and the residents were up in arms. They had a plan to destroy the beautiful seafront walk in Clontarf and they did not listen to proposals. Happily, they listened in the end and they had to back down. The important point is the bad practice there. Initially, it was not carried out in a positive and constructive way.

I take this opportunity to commend my colleague, Councillor Damien O'Farrell, the Independent councillor for the Clontarf Ward, for the magnificent work he did on this proposal. He led the charge. All the political parties sat on the fence and then ran away. Councillor O'Farrell represented the people and now they are coming up with a new, sensible plan. I want to use this occasion to commend Councillor O'Farrell, who will be running in the local elections. I urge all the people to support him for his magnificent work. He challenged bad planning and bad management and sought consultation. That was an example of a bad plan that was eventually resolved.

On the other hand, in the Donnycarney area of my constituency there were examples of good practice where the local authority sat down with the residents and dealt with the river flooding issues. They also sat down with Clontarf Golf Club, which is a neighbour, and hammered out a deal to resolve the problem. That is an example of good practice. Another example of good practice was that for years we had been campaigning to get the River Tolka dredged following the floods in 2001, 2002 and 2003, and eventually we got that done as well. This is important when we are dealing with these issues.

Returning to Clontarf and the magnificent work done by Councillor O'Farrell, as far back as 20 January last Councillor O'Farrell asked Dublin City Council to investigate the possibility of introducing short-term flood defence measures along the Clontarf promenade, including the possibility of raising the small roadside wall and using flood defence barriers at existing gaps, such as the car park entrances and exits. He put that to them and they came back with the response that this option was one of those being considered by the Clontarf promenade joint working group, and I welcome that. That is the way to do business.

Another issue directly related to flooding, which has not been mentioned during this debate, is how we got this right in Dublin Bay North. They tried to fill in the 52 acres of the bay, which would have damaged it. If they had filled in those 52 acres with concrete, all sorts of rocks, etc., one can imagine what would have happened to the water levels in recent weeks. The late, and great, Seán Dublin Bay Loftus fought on this issue for 25 years and, by the way, won. That tradition goes on, both in Dublin City Council with Councillor O'Farrell and with myself in the Oireachtas. We will continue to act as watchdogs over Dublin Bay on behalf of the people of Dublin Bay North.

We need to deal with the issues as well. I heard a number of my colleagues mention the River Shannon. The River Shannon is a magnificent resource in this country and it should be guided, minded and protected. As somebody who uses the Shannon regularly for family trips and holidays, and who has many contacts with the beautiful village of Dromineer in County Tipperary, I commend the great work that of the Shannon Protection Alliance on this issue. They give the Government a red card here. They say it should be careful about draining and taking too much water out of the River Shannon and moving it out of the area because that could be damaging to the wildlife and the development of tourism. We have heard this for many years, long before I was ever elected to the Dáil. De Valera won elections because he said he would drain the Shannon. That went on for many years. That will not stop the flooding. We need common-sense plans.

We need proper protection, including barriers, but we also need to preserve that amenity. The Shannon is a magnificent amenity for boating and other tourism pursuits. We must focus on the tourism sector and it is all linked to the debate on flooding.

During the week, I warned the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney, about the row down in beautiful Galway Bay. As someone who is originally from Galway I have to stand up for them. There is a proposal to put in a major fish farm, but imagine the pollution that would have caused in the recent storms. The Minister should be careful in this regard. Galway Bay needs to be cleaned up more and the necessary work has started but it should not be damaged further. We must focus on tourism where a lot of the jobs are. The SME and tourism sectors depend on a clean, viable Galway Bay so I urge the Minister to be sensible about it.

As regards measures taken in response to recent flooding, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government is the lead Department dealing with severe weather emergencies. The Office of Public Works has responsibility for flood relief activities. The Department of Social Protection has an important role in assisting households in the immediate aftermath of such floods. I have to point out that it was effective in doing so. For example, on Thursday, 6 February, some 160 people in Limerick had been seen in the social welfare clinics. In addition, the homes of more than 50 vulnerable people had been visited. There was a response but we need to have a regular response because, due to climate change, this will recur so we need to be prepared. I want to ensure that public safety is paramount.

In dealing with these issues, one must go through various stages. Stage one is to provide emergency support, including income payments, food, clothing and personal items for the families affected. Stage two generally involves the replacement of goods, furniture and other essential household items. However the full extent of damage may not be known until the flood water abates and houses dry out. People affected by floods must be supported and protected.

At the end of 2013, total expenditure on humanitarian assistance was €2.2 million, from which approximately 3,500 payments were made. We must be vigilant in ensuring that these families receive the maximum possible support. From the total expenditure for 2013, five households were paid a total of €51,450 for refurbishment in their homes. Payments ranged from €825 to €16,870 for work such as plastering, dry-lining, re-laying floors, electrical repairs and painting.

An additional sum of €15 million has been approved in line with the recent Government commitment to ensure that adequate resources are there to deal with these issues, but will this be enough? The Minister should listen to those directly affected by the floods.

We need a broader plan to deal with flooding in this State, including flood prevention measures such as barriers and walls. This can be done in a creative way, like the new plan for the Clontarf promenade. As well as providing flood protection, that amenity will be available for the thousands of people who wish to cycle and walk there.

This year we will have massive celebrations commemorating the Battle of Clontarf millennium. I want to invite everybody in this House, including the Minister of State, Deputy Perry, and Deputy Buttimer to attend some of the celebrations in Clontarf this year. An amazing local committee is organising the commemoration of the famous battle in 1014. They are bringing in tourists and creating jobs by putting Contarf and Dublin Bay on the map.

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