Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to speak on this matter. Bandon town was devastated last Saturday night by a serious flood for the eighth time in the past 40 years. While much of the conversation in its aftermath has been on the flood relief scheme and the need to prioritise it, my priority right now is to support the businesses that have been affected, particularly those that have been hit for the second time in six years and which have been wiped out.

I commend the OPW on the work it has done on making progress on a scheme for Bandon town. There has been more progress on the scheme in Bandon in the past four years than in the previous 44 but the harsh reality is that, for the next two and a half years, Bandon town will be vulnerable to flooding. The scheme will start within six months but it will take two years to complete. It will not be until the scheme is completed that the town will finally have protection from the dreadful, awful nightmare that is flooding. In the meantime, society needs to do everything in its power to ensure it protects the businesses in the centre of the town.

The business of Mr. Frank O'Leary of O'Leary & Daughters, across from my constituency office in the town of Bandon, has been in operation for 97 years. It was completely devastated by the flood of 2009 and devastated again last Saturday night and Sunday morning. The torrential waters ruined Mr. O'Leary's drapery business for a second time and he has no insurance. It is incumbent on us as a society to address this issue. It is a matter for the Department of Social Protection because I am seeking social protection for the businesses that have been paying rates for 97 years and that have been the lifeblood of our community by giving employment and supporting everything that moved in the town. It is now time to address this. If it happened abroad, we would all be rushing ahead of ourselves to send money to the affected region as part of a humanitarian crisis response. It is time we helped our own. I very much welcome the €5 million announced by the Cabinet today and look forward to its immediate distribution to the businesses in Bandon town.

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