Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That Dáil Éireann: - commends the voluntary and community efforts of everyone who stepped up to assist individuals, families, communities, businesses, sporting groups and voluntary organisations following the havoc caused by Storm Éowyn;

- recognises the vital communication role played by local, community and regional radio stations;

- recognises the outstanding workers from local authorities, the Electricity Supply Board (ESB), Úisce Éireann and phone companies who have been out day and night in miserable and dangerous conditions to restore essential services;

- applauds the communities that have stood together, amid the most difficult circumstances, who rallied together by opening their homes, community facilities and ensured help was provided;

- acknowledges the difficulties businesses, community and sporting groups continue to face, including significant financial hardship and the prospect of permanent closure; notes: — the lack of an effective co-ordinated emergency plan to deal with the aftermath of Storm Éowyn;

— the delayed response of Government to quickly intervene, and the failure to provide any supports to local businesses, sports and community groups left devastated by the storm;

— the fact that many businesses, schools, and homes remained without power for unacceptable lengths of time;

— the failure of ESB Networks to forward plan by undertaking action to improve their response to unplanned power outages as has been repeatedly directed by the energy regulator since 2021;

— the record-breaking profits that electricity generating companies have made in recent years which they have been allowed to keep in full, combined with ESB's refusal to make appropriate use of their €898 million profit last year in response to this national crisis as well as their public comments that the costs of repairing the electricity network may be borne by customers through increased electricity bills; and

— Úisce Eireann's lack of forward planning that left key water infrastructure without back-up generation capacity in the aftermath of Storm Éowyn; and calls on the Government to: — provide an adequate level of Government funding to aid and assist businesses, community groups, voluntary organisations and sporting clubs that have been damaged by the storm;

— bring forward the reinstatement of a 9 per cent Value-Added Tax (VAT) rate for the hospitality sector;

— ensure that the ESB provide a goodwill payment to customers determined by the length of time they were without power, and that they suspend the Public Service Obligation levy and standing charges for those without power for that period; and

— expand the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme to include businesses, sporting clubs, voluntary organisations and community groups who have been impacted by the storm as it was after Storm Babet.

We are in the 19th day after Storm Éowyn and there are still households and businesses without electricity, telecommunications and without water. I thank all the fieldworkers and their families for their dedication in carrying out this exhausting work, day and night, over the past 19 days.

People who were already struggling with the cost of living and the cost of doing business are suffering financial losses that they just cannot sustain. I am not sure the Minister understands the hardship suffered by people who have paid the price for the failure of this Government and successive Governments to invest in the most vital infrastructure, namely, electricity, water and communications. People have paid the price for the lack of an effective co-ordinated emergency plan to deal with the aftermath of Storm Éowyn and the delayed Government intervention. They should, and must, be compensated. This abject failure of the Government must be put right. Government funding must be provided for businesses, sporting clubs, voluntary organisations and community groups that have been impacted by the storm, as it was after Storm Babet. Many of these voluntary organisations and community groups were already struggling to keep going. They are still struggling to keep going. There must be a review of core funding to these groups. They proved a vital lifeline in the aftermath of the storm. Businesses not only experienced structural damage, they incurred the loss of trade due to the temporary closures and not being able to operate fully because of not having phone lines and broadband. Those who are either not covered by insurance or the excess is such that they are unable to claim must be compensated. The 9% VAT rate for the hospitality sector must now be brought forward to be effective immediately.

Some post offices in County Mayo are still without broadband. They are running on a shoestring. Trying to make manual payments to ensure already vulnerable people have something in their pockets is taking its toll. What financial support is going to be given to these post offices to ensure their sustainability? Where is Eir? Where are the mobile phone companies? Have they been called into the Government offices to be told this is not good enough?

What people in rural Ireland are rightly asking is: “Who is in charge? Where is the Government? Where are the regulators? Where are those who made massive profits on the backs of ordinary people?" The failure of the ESB to ensure the resilience of the network must be put right for households by providing a goodwill payment to customers and by suspending the public service obligation, PSO, levy and the standing charges for those without power.

How did Uisce Éireann think it would be possible to ensure water supply without generators? Are businesses going to be asked to pay a standing charge for water when they had no supply for days? Maybe we should not be surprised, when businesses in beautiful seaside towns like Newport are forced to pay for water treatment, when there is no water treatment plant there. Who is in charge of people’s right to water?

I commend the role of local, community and regional radio stations both on the forewarnings of the status red alert and the aftermath of Storm Éowyn. I do not know where we would have been without them, in my case Midwest Radio, covering County Mayo and the wider region. The diaspora anxiously waited for news as to what was happening to their families and whether their families were safe. Presenters kept going throughout the night with updates, warnings and the outages. That was apart from the company they provided for people living alone, in fear of the worst storm ever. What is the Government going to do to acknowledge the vital role played by local, regional and community radio stations? Governments have paid lip service to these radio stations for more than 30 years. They have a public service remit. The Sound and Vision fund is not fit for the purpose we need them to serve. There must be multi-annual funding for news and current affairs. How can we justify giving €750 million to RTÉ and nothing for regional radio stations? The listenership figures reflect 63% for Midwest Radio in Mayo versus less than 20% coverage for our national broadcaster. This situation cannot be allowed to continue. I ask all TDs to address this inequity in the immediate future. I also acknowledge the role played by Castlebar Community Radio and other community radio stations.

In terms of business supports the Government has abdicated responsibility entirely. I have spoken to oyster farmers who have suffered losses in the hundreds of thousands of euro. They must be supported to restock and repair damaged equipment. Farm businesses are wholly depended on being productive to generate income. I have spoken regularly about the disgraceful ACRES system. We have to put a scheme in place for farmers.

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