Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his questions and I wish him good luck for 2016, outside the electoral contest.

The rains in December were the heaviest for 52 years in many places around the country. Cork Airport had 400 mm, more than it ever had. Places in the south east such as Carlow had between 150% and 300% more than average rainfall. This was absolutely devastating for many communities and very distressing for householders, business people and people in the agricultural sector. I agree that the community response was absolutely magnificent. Obviously assistance was given by Civil Defence, Army personnel and local authorities to everybody involved in attempting to cope with elements that in many cases just wiped away road structures, bridges and culverts and caused serious damage.

I called together all of the chief executives of the statutory authorities with responsibility for the Shannon basin. They had never been called together previously. If one reads the Official Report of the debate held in this House on 30 June 1948 one will find the same complaints and issues being raised about flooding, and the Shannon in particular, at that time.

However, as far as I am concerned, one could be debating legislation on a single entity. Many of these are very important statutory entities. What is much more important is that the action is taken that can be taken and to have an effective working strategy to deal with the Shannon basin from estuary to source, including the tributaries of the rivers Hind, the Brosna, the Suck and the Inny. The answer to the problem is multifaceted and includes flood plains and works that can be carried out under the flexibility of the Habitats and Water Framework Directives.

I wish to advise Deputy Martin that what Government did before Christmas was make two decisions on the humanitarian issue. That affected Bandon with €10 million being made available to address humanitarian issues. Also, a €5 million fund was decided for businesses in flood plains which did not have insurance and were ratably valued. It is a very simple and effective proposition to get €5,000 paid before Christmas and a further €15,000 unvouched costs to be administered by local authorities and the Red Cross. The local authorities confirmed that they turned around the applications within 24 hours.

The emergency co-ordination group has met 30 times since 3 December. It is a body of representative people with great experience in their fields. Deputy Martin raises a valid question as to more adequate preparation. One of the decisions made by Government was to invest in detailed capacity for far greater information on long-range weather forecasting so that authorities and communities would be aware as far in advance as possible of what might happen. I understand the concept of wanting a single legal authority. Some of these authorities were in situbefore the State was founded. An effective working strategy is what is needed.

The insurance companies were not called together before now. We had a good meeting with them yesterday. It was not meant to be either an inquisition or a meeting out of which final decisions would be made. What was agreed was that the companies would explain and forward to the Office of Public Works by the end of next week the information on the houses and businesses they insure and come back with, to coin a phrase, a more mature reflection on the issue of demountable defences which are allowed, insured and reinsured on the Continent but not in Ireland. In Fermoy for instance, such defences were put up on seven different occasions during the recent floods and worked exceptionally well. As far as we are concerned, they stand the test of time. In that sense, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport will produce, in so far as he can, an accurate summary from all local authorities of the extent of structural damage to roads, bridges, culverts and so on. We hope to deal with that during the course of the coming year.

See this speech in context