Pearse Doherty (Sinn Fein)

Ba mhaith liom iarraidh ar an Cheannaire díospóireacht a reachtáil maidir le todhchaí na Gaeilge, go háirithe maidir leis an nuachtán Foinse, agus na himpleachtaí a bhaineann le todhchaí an nuachtáin sin. Ag trácht ar an am deireanach a thóg mé an cheist seo, gabhaim leithscéal leis an Chathaoirleach toisc nár éist mé leis an rialú a thóg sé ar an lá sin. Níor thuig mé go bhfuil rialú úr ann ó thaobh dhá nóiméad cainte.

Ba mhaith liom fosta go n-úsáidfí an Ceannaire oifig s'aige leis na seirbhísí uilig a tharraingt le chéile. I refer to the flash flooding which took place in my own village and townland yesterday in Gweedore. I dropped the boys up to the crèche yesterday in their shorts, t-shirts and sandals but by the time I reached Dublin, serious flash flooding had taken place. People still are trapped in their houses this morning, bridges have collapsed, churches and youth clubs have been completely submerged and businesses have been severely damaged. As one tries to deal with the aftermath of such an event, one problem is that one is obliged to contact the Departments of Transport, the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

Unfortunately, this is not a new phenomenon, as this has happened repeatedly and has become all too common and frequent in recent years. A multi-agency response in this regard is required. It should be established on a permanent basis to react if such an incident happens. This was not the fault of any politician and I do not blame the Government for it. However, people should be able to telephone an agency to report that an issue has arisen. One should be able to state that bridges must be built, youth clubs must be restored, the fire brigade must be deployed and additional money must be made available to the local authority and that the Department of Finance must become involved. One should be able to report that farms have been wrecked and flooded to a one-stop shop that exists to deal with such natural disasters. I appeal to the Leader to engage with the relevant Departments. He should use his offices to bring this about. Urgent action is needed to help the people of Gaoth Dobhair. I am sure there will be many similar events in the years to come. It is sad to listen to the stories of people who are trapped in their houses and do not know what is happening. If they were given information to the effect that there would be a rapid response, that would give them some comfort.