Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I commend my party colleague, Deputy Michael McGrath, and urge the Government to accede to his request to allow this Bill to go forward to Committee Stage where amendments can be discussed.

This Bill will compel insurance companies to provide cover to people in areas where flood defence works have been completed, including demountable defences. If these defences are not good enough for the insurance companies, are we going to tell the OPW engineers to go back to the drawing board and come up with better, more concrete solutions for other areas such as Midleton, Mallow and Fermoy? Does the Government propose to provide its own indemnity scheme? We must remember that these home and business owners pay rates and local property tax and deserve value for their money.

Over ten years ago when I was a councillor I met the former Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, Tom Parlon, and made representations on behalf of the people of Fermoy. Some of the members of that delegation have gone to their eternal reward, including Phyllis Nelligan and Jim Bartley. Luckily enough, Tom Parlon's successor was the former Fianna Fáil Minister of State, Martin Mansergh, and he ensured that money was ring-fenced for Fermoy and Mallow. The day 30 December 2015 was a defining day for Fermoy when the flood barriers were put in place and worked successfully. They saved both sides of the town of Fermoy, north and south. The flood barriers in Mallow were also a success. While the rest of Cork was being flooded the people of Fermoy and Mallow were able to relax. In fact, there is a pub in Brian Boru Square in Fermoy, the Avondhu Bar which has flooded many times.

However, this time it was able to hold a party. People came out onto Brian Boru Square and said it is working. The businesses, including the Grand Hotel across the river, were involved also.

There are solutions to this problem and ways of providing insurance. Deputy Michael McGrath knows the background to these issues but across the water in Britain they have looked at a different method of reinsurance, Flood Re, which is a non-profit effort by the insurance companies. The Minister should be asked to look at these areas. In fairness, in 2014, during the term of the previous Government, there was a memorandum of understanding that the insurance companies, with the agreement of the Office of Public Works, would come up with some solution.

There are no defences in place for many of the people in the Gallery. They might ask why is O'Keeffe talking about this when he has defences in place but I have a list of people, properties and householders who have no insurance today but who have the best defence in place.

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