Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I genuinely do not want to make a political issue out of this. The Taoiseach gave a good weather forecast, and it is important that people know what is coming down the tracks, but I get the sense in the towns that have been affected that people want to know when action will be taken. The relief scheme for Bandon, which was badly flooded in 2009, has not been carried out and the capital works have not been put in place. A report in the Irish Examinerfrom 27 February 2014, referring to a meeting of the Committee of Public Accounts, noted the following: "The slow-paced attempts to protect vulnerable communities after the January 2014 storms ravaged the country were revealed by officials tasked with overseeing the funding yesterday." The phrase "slow-paced attempts" sums up the official response to the flooding crisis.

In the context of the Taoiseach's uninspiring speech on climate change in Paris, there is a real sense that the Government does not get what is happening. It must dramatically upgrade this issue in terms of its priorities. The Taoiseach summed it up when he stated that most of the €10 million humanitarian relief scheme introduced in 2012 had not been drawn down. The scheme is not working, as anybody in the areas affected will agree. I remember sending off hundreds of applications for funding in Cork city after a dam was opened during a flood, but no one received anything. There is no confidence in the humanitarian relief scheme and people will not even bother applying for it. There is no point in the Taoiseach's stating that the Government provided €10 million for a scheme in 2012 but no one drew down the funding or that the scheme is still in place. Something is not working.

New measures are needed to address the insurance issue. They could include joint Government-backed insurance programmes for flood areas. Even in areas such as Clonmel, which is in a better position than previously as a result of a good flood relief scheme, people continue to find it difficult to get insurance. The key issue is that less will be spent on capital relief works next year than was spent last year. That sums up the lack of prioritisation.

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