Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I am sure the Minister of State, Deputy Harris, is well aware of the impact of recent floods in County Clare on the lives and livelihoods of many people. Their lives have been seriously disrupted through the flooding of their homes, the battle to keep water out of their homes, the total submergence of farmlands and the impact on livestock. All this ultimately impacts on the profitability of those farms. Business premises have been flooded and roads have been rendered impassable. These roads have been inundated with water and this has impacted on the ability of some to get to work and their children to school.

I am sure the Minister of State is familiar with a number of the sites which have been flooded. Around Scarriff Harbour, the MacNamaras have been flooded. In O'Callaghansmills, a number of families have been cut off. This is happening on an annual basis. The Clonlara-Springfield area has been impacted by the increased flooding of the River Shannon and the levels maintained by the ESB have been of the greatest concern in the county. This has impacted on the lives of many people. In Mullagh, a bridge was swept away, cutting off four or five families. In and around Ennis, the Tullow Road area is under pressure as is Kildysart Cross. The Minister of State will have seen the iconic pictures of St. Flannan's College, which has been flooded again. The Rowan Tree café, notwithstanding the flood defences in place, has again suffered some flooding. Ballyvaughan and Kilkee and other places to a lesser extent have also suffered. Roads and lands have been impacted and lives and livelihoods are affected.

I am sure the Minister of State is aware, if he has spoken to his predecessors, that it is customary for the Minister to visit the sites, review the damage, offer some complimentary words, talk to people and listen. The Minister of State is always welcome in County Clare but I appeal to him on this occasion to hold off on his visit. He should leave it a while - until he has concrete solutions in place - because this is not the first time for those who have been impacted on this occasion. In some cases, it is not the second, third or fourth time. It has happened on numerous occasions.

Their patience is running out. A delegation of politicians in suits walking through what ultimately will be a flooded area in a week or so would only add to their dismay. They want solutions. The Minister of State's time would be better spent sitting with officials and engineers to identify solutions and how they would be paid for.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I agree.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I did not come here with a wish list and an expectation that the Minister of State could, somehow, pull money out of the air. That said, an effort must be made to find the money required to address the crisis.

I wish to suggest a number of possible solutions. There is no doubt that dredging and drainage work must form part of any solution. I am conscious that the catchment flood risk assessment and management, CFRAM, study is in train and hope it will set out some solutions. However, I am also conscious that some of the work will cost so much that it may not be possible to undertake it in the short term. The notion of addressing this issue over a five year period with €400 million or other sum of money is no good to the people affected. They do not have five years to wait; they need action now.

There is an opportunity to undertake some smaller flood defence works around a number of homes in a manner similar to the small works scheme. If that scheme could be extended to private property and residences and people come together in a community effort, it might provide an opportunity to put an appropriate solution in place. I know of one farmer in the Clonlara area who had the means to put a relatively inexpensive flood defence system in place and it worked on this occasion, even though his land was probably at the lowest point.

The Minister of State's Department must give some consideration to the possibility of relocation for some families, some of whom will never be able to settle in their homes again. Even if defensive works are put in place to protect their homes, they will still suffer because the surrounding roads are flooded and they are cut off. This must form part of the solutions considered by the Government. I hope the Minister of State will give favourable consideration to these three elements.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I agree with his initial comments and have said a number of times in the past week or ten days that politicians, regardless of political persuasion, donning wellies and standing around looking sympathetic will not serve much purpose. I visited Bandon and Skibbereen yesterday because the county council had passed a motion calling on me to do so. I also visited Ballinasloe and Crossmolina for similar reasons. Where I have been asked to visit, I have done so, but I have no desire to travel the country visiting people when my time could be more practically spent to come up with solutions, as the Deputy correctly pointed out. That said, where people want me to visit to hear the views of the community, I will do so.

I am very much aware of the devastating impact flooding can have on people's lives and livelihoods. I convey my deepest sympathy and that of all Members of the House to those who have been affected by recent flooding, including in County Clare, particularly in areas such as Springfield, Clonlara and wider rural communities. I pay tribute to the resilience of local communities who have been responding for days to the flood alert issued by the local authority. Community efforts are critical to preparing for and managing any flood event or other adverse event. I understand approximately 20,000 sandbags have been distributed throughout County Clare to help to prevent and mitigate flood damage. I also pay tribute to local authority staff, the almost 900 defence personnel - members of Civil Defence, An Garda Síochána and the HSE - and all those who are working day and night to protect life and property and now also engaged in the recovery work.

Obviously, people must continue to heed safety messages until this flood event and flood risk have passed. The Department of Social Protection has a €10 million fund available for households, while the Irish Red Cross is administering a €5 million fund for businesses that have been affected. The Government has asked the Irish Red Cross to make every effort to have this €5 million fund disbursed to businesses before Christmas and I know that it is doing so.

As the Deputy suggested, the core strategy for addressing the significant flood risk in County Clare is the Office of Public Work's CFRAM programme. There are 11 areas identified for further assessment in the county, namely, Bunratty, Ennis, Kilkee, Kilrush, Quin, Shannon, Sixmilebridge, Springfield Clonlara, Shannon Airport, O'Brien's Bridge and Killaloe. These are being assessed within the Shannon CFRAM study. The study is focused on assessing and putting in place solutions to manage areas at greatest risk and the impact of flooding along the River Shannon. It is the only CFRAM study that is focusing on an entire river catchment. The other five studies are focusing on geographic areas. The River Shannon study covers some 17,800 sq. km or 20% of the island of Ireland. It includes 17 counties, including the Deputy's own county of Clare.

The CFRAM programme which is being undertaken by engineering consultants on behalf of the OPW, working in partnership with the local authorities, involves the production of predictive flood maps for each location, the development of preliminary flood risk management options and the production of flood risk management plans. The programme has and will continue to rely on extensive public engagement and consultation. To date, it has included a public consultation to inform the designation of the 300 areas across Ireland at greatest risk from flooding and meet, in person, each of the 300 communities to explain the flood risks for and the impact on them and to obtain their local knowledge and insight. One cannot beat local knowledge.

In County Clare the flood map meetings were held between November 2014 and March 2015. In addition, the OPW is running a national public consultation until 23 December on the draft flood maps which will provide a further opportunity to share information and obtain as much local knowledge as possible. Details are available at Clare County Council's offices in Ennis, Killaloe and Kilrush and on the OPW's website. We are actively examining the options for feasible flood risk solutions for each of the areas and discussing, in person, with each community the possible options. Of the 66 areas that are part of the Shannon CFRAM study, we have discussed options to manage the flood risk with 48 of the communities and the remainder will be done in early 2016. The options for the areas in County Clare were discussed with the communities between October and early December this year.

By the middle of next year I expect to have the draft plans with feasible solutions for each of the 300 areas, including those in County Clare. The recent flooding event and the possible impact of climate change will inform the flood risk management plan for each area. There will be a further round of public consultations in the second half of 2016, again involving each of the communities to obtain their insight which will inform the final flood risk management plans. I must stress that they will not just be empty plans or glossy reports but will come up with real solutions.

I will reflect on the points made by the Deputy, many of which were reasonable. The issue of relocation may have to be considered in some areas where we are not able to come up with a viable solution. I look forward to responding to further points the Deputy may raise.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. One of the elements that could be undertaken quickly is the construction of flood defence mechanisms around private residences under the minor works scheme. If community groups could be given the chance to work on a solution, I have no doubt, having spent a lot of time with them over the weekend, that they would be happy to do so. The CFRAM study report can inform the management of flooding of the River Shannon at a later stage. Minor flood defence works and the question of relocation must be considered first.

The Minister of State has pointed out that tremendous work has been done by the Army and the county council and there a number of heroes who deserve a special mention. Ms Bridget Kinsella and her three sons stayed up all night to try to protect their home. Bridget is a widow with three teenage sons and thanks to their hard work, they managed to prevent their house from being flooded. I also mention the Masons - Geraldine, her brother, husband and children - who did the same. They managed to save their home, although Geraldine's mother's home was flooded, as was that of her brother, which is a pity.

I pay tribute to some great public servants, including Mr. Hugh McGrath, the area engineer, and Mr. Pat Henchy, who have done tremendous work on behalf of Clare County Council. Mr. Adrian Kelly, the chief fire officer, has also done wonderful work, as have all of the staff who have been working around the clock to save people. Sergeant Mary Daly from the Army also deserves credit for her input on behalf of the Defence Forces, as do local gardaí. The local independent councillor Michael Begley has had a gang of people out filling sandbags and is doing tremendous work in the area.

I must commend all of the neighbours and friends in the area, including Dave and Shirley Mulcahy. While their home has not been under pressure, they have been wading through water in an effort to get their children to school. They are trying to ensure life goes on in the middle of the devastation. They are all great people and it is important to record our thanks for what they have done in the spirit of the community at such a difficult time. It is an especially difficult time for those who will be out of their homes for Christmas. I hope the floods will abate and that nobody else will have to face that prospect.

I wish to make one final point, but, first, I stress that I do not distrust the ESB. In fact, I have the height of respect and the highest regard for ESB engineers and what they have succeeded in doing over the generations. That said, concern has been expressed about whether the ESB is managing the waterways in the best way possible. Under statute, it has one primary concern - the generation of electricity at Ardnacrusha. It is required by law to maintain certain water levels. This is probably a good time to undertake an independent review of the management of the River Shannon in its entirety in the context of how we generate electricity now and will do so into the future. We must determine if we need to maintain the levels deemed necessary in the past and whether we should continue generating electricity in the same way.

I pose the questions. I am not an engineer, so I do not know. People would certainly like to see that issue addressed. If that could form part of the Government's mid-term analysis of all of this problem, it would be worthwhile.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I join with Deputy Dooley in paying tribute to those people he has rightly highlighted as heroes in the response to the very bad weather. I too was struck by the story of the huge ordeal the Kinsella family has gone through and I pay tribute to them for their major efforts. It is important to note that the CFRAM process will reduce the time it takes to deliver a scheme by about two years. Therefore, the work that is being done now, for example, the outline design and the consultation with the community, will reduce a scheme that normally takes about five years to complete to three years. While three years is still a long time, we cannot be dishonest with people. These are major capital schemes that we have to get right.

Ireland is on track to deliver its draft CFRAM plans by mid-2016 but we have not been sitting on our hands. We have been moving ahead in delivering a number of schemes, including the scheme for Ennis. The town of Ennis has been the focus of a number of flood relief schemes in recent years, with the completion of the River Fergus, Ennis upper and Ennis lower flood relief schemes. Clare County Council has reported in the media that these schemes have significantly reduced the impact of flooding on the town in recent days. Further works at Aughanteeroe and Fioruisce are currently being undertaken and Clare County Council is progressing a scheme for Ennis south which I expect to commence construction next year. The investment in proactive planning through CFRAM during the past five years for these 300 areas will significantly reduce the delivery times of feasible schemes in these areas.

There has been a lot of information about capital spend on flooding. While I do not want to be partisan on this, I want to be clear that the issue of funding in regard to the delivery of these schemes is not a problem. We have €430 million set aside for the next five years under the capital plan. That means we will be spending more on the delivery of these flood relief schemes over the next five years than in the past 20 years, which is right and proper considering the suffering that communities have experienced and the increased frequency of adverse weather events. I want to assure this House and the public that there is, and will continue to be, sufficient funding available to meet all requirements for flood relief in any year. I welcome the proposal by the Minister, Deputy Kelly, which was approved by Cabinet today, to make €8 million available to local authorities, including Clare County Council, in terms of the clean-up costs that will be incurred by communities.

I would also make the point that my office continues to run the minor flood works scheme. Clare County Council may carry out flood mitigation works under this heading, whereby it can apply for funding of up to €500,000 to carry out minor works that it may believe will be of benefit to its community. Some €1.56 million has been allocated to Clare County Council under this scheme since it was introduced in 2009 to the end of last year.

The Deputy has raised a number of important issues, including, bravely if I may say so, the issue of relocation, which is a sensitive but important issue. When we have concluded the CFRAM process, which will be by about the middle of next year, coupled with the report of the interdepartmental group on flooding to Cabinet, whoever is in government at that time, a range of options and issues, like relocation, flood forecasting and flood insurance, will have to be dealt with. I look forward to debating those issues in this House.