Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

It is fair to say the dreadful weather of the past week has visited disaster on tens of thousands of families. My colleagues have clearly outlined the significant scale of the problem in counties Cork, Galway and Tipperary. As with the state of the economy, we are where we are and it is a question of what we can do, what leadership can be provided by politicians and what approach we will take in conjunction with local authorities to alleviate distress, provide whatever financial compensation is possible and plan for the future.

Grave scenes of devastation in towns and townlands, communities ravaged by floods, families in distress and people being helicoptered to safety have been shown on our television screens and across the media. The latter is a scene we associate with disasters abroad, but it happened on our doorstep. In County Cork, the town of Mallow benefited significantly from flood alleviation works carried out by the OPW, Cork County Council and Mallow town council. Other towns where works were not as advanced, such as Fermoy, were hit by flooding more severely. Many towns in west Cork have been gravely affected.

The national response should be the swifter implementation of the flood relief plans that are on the shelves of various Departments and councils. This will require funding, but the questions for the immediate future relate to the clean-up and what compensation can be provided. The figure of €10 million for relief is a drop in the ocean, if the House will excuse the pun. There is an absolute expectation that, notwithstanding our financial state, there will be a genuine effort to secure serious levels of compensation for those who have been most gravely affected financially or in terms of property.

My colleague, Senator Healy Eames, stated we have been in a position to provide money for the banking system. This was badly needed, as we all require a banking system, but an equivalent effort must be made to compensate the thousands of families that have been affected. Unfortunately, the moneys received from house or business insurance will not solve the problem, since policies in this respect can prove difficult. In most cases, compensation will not be payable under these policies and people who claimed 12 or 24 months ago are no longer covered. The State has an obligation to respond to the financial distress of which we are all aware. We can all agree that €10 million would not solve the problem of one town in the west or south west. I hope the Minister of State, in his summation, will indicate that greater investment will be provided.

Like many colleagues across parties, I wish to express my appreciation for the people in State offices, be they council, HSE, OPW or departmental officials, who have worked so effectively during the past week to try to help. The public servants were at their best, a fact that needs to be noted at this difficult time in the debate on the future funding of public services. This shows that we need a public service that can respond to the crisis of the time. The current response has been effective, but it can only go so far, given the scale of the problem. One cannot turn back the tide or make the floods disappear. For some towns and villages, the crisis will continue during the coming weeks.

Local authorities will be left holding a large bill. They must try to pay for the overtime of staff who have been working nearly 24/7. They must also repair roads, dangerous bridges, gullies, streams, rivers etc. The Department must work closely with local authorities to address this urgent need for funding, resources and manpower.

All colleagues in the Chamber might have received a submission today from one of our councillors in Cork, Councillor Daly, who suggested the Department should consider a social employment-type scheme on a trial basis. In this way, local authorities would be allowed to employ people who are currently unemployed at a rate of approximately €400 per week, comprising the social welfare payment and a further €200. In Cork and other affected counties, approximately 200 people could be employed to help repair local roads, re-open drains, clean up etc. Machinery helps a lot, but the councils need more people to work with them during the coming weeks and months, which will be crucial. There is an embargo on public sector recruitment, but this is a national disaster and resources must be provided to local authorities. At a time when virtually 500,000 people are unemployed, we must give some consideration to this suggestion on a short-term basis. In Cork, this sort of direct employment would shorten our lengthening dole queues by approximately 200 people.

As part of the broader debate, we must listen to the argument made by Senator de Búrca on planning and development, but we are not in a position to knock down housing estates which have been built. It is a question of planning for the future but, more importantly, dealing with the current crisis, financially and physically.