Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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I appreciate the Ceann Comhairle choosing my motion for debate this evening. In recent weeks, we have experienced the worst floods in living memory. The south and west have been inundated and the Liffey burst its banks in County Kildare, flooding many areas. My constituency of Dublin Central has experienced widespread flooding during the past decade. The Ceann Comhairle will remember the former Taoiseach in wellingtons outside St. Luke's. The current Taoiseach did not get around to getting his wellingtons out in time, but the former Taoiseach was well supplied.

The flooding in that instance occurred around the Botanic Gardens and along the Tolka to East Wall, Ballybough and the Royal Canal, where there were many problems. As such, there have been substantial flood warnings, but the Government does not seem to have shown any sense or urgency in addressing the problems. In some areas of my constituency, getting home or property insurance is impossible because of the perception that they will be flooded again. Therefore, why insure the inevitable? Insurance is about the risk of something occurring, not its inevitability.

It is important that the Government addresses the issue and has a long-term strategy. It was not just today or yesterday that the warnings about climate change arrived. In January 2006, the European Commission drafted a directive, which was agreed by the Council at a summit and the European Parliament in 2007. It was passed on to the Government to enact. At this time last year, I asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government about the legislation's status. He replied to the effect that, up until then, the Government had not considered it sufficiently even to determine which Minister would deal with it or whether it would be handled by primary or secondary legislation, namely, brought before the House or dealt with via statutory instrument. That was 12 months ago. Guess where we are now. The date of expiry for the directive's transposition has passed, but no answer has been given.

There is no sense of urgency about dealing with the matter. The directive was intended to ensure that each member state assessed the risk of flooding with a view to reducing the incidence of flooding and disasters within the EU as a whole. I would like definite information regarding the directive's status, as it impacts on the entirety of Ireland, not just my constituency.

Dublin was fortunate to escape the worst effects of the flooding, but the Liffey breached its banks. In the previous floodings, the Liffey did not do so. Had the Liffey breached its banks further down, closer to Dublin than to Kildare, there could have been substantial damage. Television images and photographs show the damage caused in Kildare, but it could have been more widespread, given the greater torrent of water close to the Liffey Estuary in the heart of Dublin. Does the Government know what it is doing and does it have a plan for flooding across the country and, more specifically, in Dublin?

Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)
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While I am replying on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government,-----

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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The Minister of State is eminently qualified.

Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)
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-----I also have responsibilities in this regard. To answer immediately, the directive will be transposed before the end of the year. It probably would have been transposed before the end of November had much of the country not been hit by the flooding crisis, which required everyone's concentration.

The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government's role where there is serious flooding is to ensure that local authorities are prepared to respond promptly to ameliorate the worst effects in respect of those aspects within their direct responsibility and that they act in co-operation with the other principal response agencies - An Garda Síochána and the Health Service Executive, HSE - the voluntary agencies, the Defence Forces and the Office of Public Works, OPW, to limit the effects on individuals whose lives may be put at risk or who may be exposed to serious hardship and, where possible, to protect homes and business premises.

The local authorities are geared to respond promptly and effectively to offset the worst effects of flooding. In responding to the current flooding, local authorities have been using the procedures set out in the framework for major emergency management, which enables the three principal response agencies - An Garda Síochána, the HSE and major local authorities - together with the Defence Forces, Civil Defence and other voluntary agencies to make and co-ordinate the response to flooding. Reports from the areas experiencing major flooding in the past two weeks show that this interagency response has worked in a satisfactory manner. In the past year, I attended interagency meetings in Clonmel and, more recently, Ennis. Regarding the Dublin area, which escaped the severe flooding of the west and south, I understand that the authorities' crisis management teams were on stand-by last weekend, with the position being monitored during the heavy rainfall on Friday night and Saturday.

The OPW is the lead agency for purposes of devising and implementing measures to deal with flooding, including flood relief schemes. I understand from my office that it has provided Dublin City Council with advice, funding and direct labour, on an agency basis, for the carrying out of flood relief works, particularly on the Rivers Dodder and Tolka and elsewhere in the country. Dublin City Council has been the main contracting agency for flood relief works already completed or currently under construction in Dublin.

The need to deal in a proactive manner with the issue of flood risk was recognised by the review of flood policy agreed by the Government in September 2004. In this regard, the OPW has begun pilot studies for the River Dodder and the Fingal-east County Meath area. Procurement of flood risk studies for the additional river catchments will commence in late 2010. The end result of each study will be a catchment flood risk assessment and management plan to meet the dates set out in the EU floods directive, which will be transposed before the end of this year.

The Department has asked the local authorities for reports on the effects of the flooding on individuals and businesses in their areas and proposals that could be pursued to reduce the risk of further flooding. The reports, when received, will be sent to the OPW and other relevant Departments for consideration and necessary remedial works required. I also understand that the county enterprise board network is being used to collate reports from affected businesses, which will be sent to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.