Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

However, we should be making a case at Government level and to the European Commission to alter the threshold for emergency aid, if necessary, in order for the flooding to be deemed a natural disaster and an emergency. We are in a strong position to argue for EU funding.

It would have been good had the House been sitting last week because we would have had a better opportunity to address the issue of local authority staff. During the term of Mr. Phil Hogan as Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, a significant issue arose over the number of outdoor staff and local authorities. As with other speakers, I pay tribute to the local authority staff on the Trojan work they have done over the past six weeks along with the Civil Defence volunteers, Defence Forces and staff of all the agencies that helped. In some counties, more than 30% of the outdoor staff are gone, thus creating a major problem in respect of maintenance and the implementation of preventive measures.

I have seen where bushes, pallets and waste thrown into streams have blocked culverts, thereby flooding a whole area, including farmland and houses. We need to be mindful of that. I appeal to the Minister, Deputy Alan Kelly, to consider this in the short time remaining for the Government. Good value for money is to be obtained from local authority staff. One gets good bang for one's buck. With the modern systems employed by the outdoor staff and the training of the overseers and engineers, they can get a lot of work done in a short period.

Some of the damage caused by the recent floods could have been averted if more staff had been in place. The ability of local authorities to address the negative impact of the flooding was hampered in some areas by staffing issues. Furthermore, the €460 million of revenue from the local property tax allocated to Irish Water in the past year or two was supposed to be used for local services. Members of local authorities have raised with me concerns that some of the emergency funding announced to undo damage caused by flooding will be raised from local authorities' own resources and will not be a top-up. I ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to clarify the position on that matter.

The €450 million to be spent on flood defences must be spent in a co-ordinated manner. I acknowledge that some of the flood defences that have been erected have worked well. It is good that flood defences have been shown to work. Deputy Adams stated earlier that we should not use this debate to engage in Punch and Judy politics. Members must speak honestly on this issue, rather than having a go at each other for the sake of it. People whose properties have been flooded do not want to hear that type of debate. They want to know what we will do resolve the problem. Sinn Féin's contribution to this debate is being made with that in mind.

My party introduced the River Shannon Management Agency Bill today because we believe the co-ordination group or task force proposed by the Government will not have the teeth it needs to be able to effect change. We have a serious concern that everyone and no one will be responsible for the River Shannon. Nevertheless, we will study the terms of reference to be produced next week.

To address the position in County Laois, a large area of farmland between Mountmellick and Portarlington is flooded. Hundreds of acres in the Barrow basin are flooded and the Nore basin is flooded from Castletown south to Attanagh on the Kilkenny border and through Shanahoe, Boley, Killaney, Cloncough and many other townland. Thousands of acres are under water and roadways are now flooding, which is causing more damage.

I am informed that some years ago, when the local authority sought to carry out dredging work on the River Barrow, it was prevented from doing so by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. As a result, Spa Street and Botley Lane in Portarlington were flooded in recent weeks. In areas such as Killaney, Shanahoe and Boley, one can see that the River Nore is being slowed down and blocked by trees and silt banks. As far as I can determine, the Office of Public Works is responsible for maintaining the river, although there is a question mark about which agency is responsible. I ask the Minister to clarify the matter. County Laois no longer has drainage boards for its rivers, with the Barrow drainage board being the last to be abolished. As a result, maintenance work is no longer being done on the rivers and it is unclear which agency is responsible for maintenance. The local authority believes it is responsible for smaller rivers. Will the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government instruct the Office of Public Works to inspect the River Nore? Will he provide funding to assist the local authority in having the river cleaned? Will he also ensure that the habitats and water directives are not used to prevent necessary work from being carried out on the River Nore? While I accept that this work cannot be done this week or next week, it must be done in drier periods of the year.

I welcome the presence of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine because farmers have raised with me the flooding they are experiencing. In Killaney, large sections of road have been flooded. The problems being experienced in Portarlington, a low-lying town, as a result of flooding of the River Barrow must be addressed. The town's population of approximately 7,000 people cannot be left at risk of flooding. Action must be taken to protect communities, businesses and households in the town.

There is a problem with the CFRAM mapping. I have met farmers living in Garryhedder outside Clonaslee who cannot obtain insurance, yet part of the townland lies on the slopes of the Slieve Bloom Mountains. When one drives on the main road from Clonaslee through Cadamstown into County Offaly towards Coolacrease, the slopes of the Slieve Bloom Mountains are visible on the left-hand side. These areas area zoned as being at risk of flooding because they are in the townland of Garryhedder. In addition, the Esker Ridge on the Ridge Road in Portlaoise is included in the at risk zone, yet anyone standing on it can look down across the town. This is ludicrous. The Bianconi Way housing estate, which has never flooded, and the Lake Glen and Wood Lawn housing estates are also included, as are many other housing estates. The CFRAM mapping was done by someone sitting at a desk who did not take the trouble to visit the areas being included in the at risk zones. I understand the process is being done again.

I ask the Ministers to ensure the areas zoned as at risk in County Laois are reviewed because farmers, business people and householders in areas that have never flooded are unable to obtain insurance. If the Esker Ridge in Portlaoise were to be flooded, the entire town would be under water and water levels would reach the chimney of my home. Whole townlands cannot be designated flood zones when some areas are 40 ft., 50 ft. or 80 ft. higher than other areas. This information needs to be fed into the process and I ask the Ministers to use their influence to ensure this is done.

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