Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Reference was made to small businesses and the development of a €5 million fund to assist them in the run-up to Christmas, when many businesses would have been anticipating an active and successful Christmas season. That fund will be administered on behalf of the Government through the Irish Red Cross. It will allow for maximum flexibility of the type described by a number of Deputies. Like the humanitarian assistance scheme of the Department of Social Protection, it is highly flexible. We have sorted out many issues in respect of housing and locating homes if people have to be relocated. The idea is that they are as close as possible to where they were but out of flood danger.

Obviously, there are issues with places where, unfortunately, in the past, some homes were built on floodplains. When I became Minister I worked to sort out some of the issues arising from the terrible things that happened during the 2009 floods and rains. Ultimately, we were able to assist almost all of the families affected. Nonetheless, it is an incredibly difficult thing for a family. I think I met most of the people affected. I have been in most of the flood locations throughout the country.

Department of Social Protection officials, in particular those from the community welfare service, are on standby and have been on standby with no particular public fanfare. We have already been addressing issues that arose in recent times in Waterford and Clare. Over the weekend our officials were on the ground in Tralee sorting out and relocating families as well setting up humanitarian assistance for families.

I understand that in Athlone and further up the Shannon the people affected are incredibly apprehensive, as are people further down the river in Limerick. All these people have experienced dreadful flooding before. We are on standby to address this. We work through the local agencies. We act on any advice or information that we receive from other organisations, including the Society of St. Vincent de Paul immediately. We have made the process as simple as possible.

Deputies should bear in mind that in a flood it may not be possible to identify instantly everything that arises, either in respect of a business or a family home. Therefore, in the first stage, we concentrate on emergency payments. In the second stage we concentrate on essentials, such as white goods, fridges and so on, which may have been destroyed. In the third stage when we have expert assessment we concentrate on what needs to be rebuilt. Obviously, if people have private insurance, generally speaking, they look after themselves. I am mindful of the fact that because of the history of flooding many people do not have insurance. That is where the flood schemes and humanitarian relief scheme come into their own.

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