Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

I thank Senator Butler for sharing his time with me. I want to reflect on some of the comments he made. He made some exceptionally good and pragmatic suggestions, which is what we need. We can foresee circumstances where flooding may recur and if it is possible to treat a house to ensure flood waters would not get in, the matter should be looked at in the context of the provision of grant aid because a stitch in time could save a great deal of money at a later stage.

Incidentally, I am glad these statements are being made, for which I thank the Leader. I note that he stated on the Order of Business he would be prepared to provide a certain amount of time for a number of weeks to discuss the issue of flooding where it might be necessary to do so. That, in itself, is a good idea.

It is not necessary to reiterate what has been stated about the trauma experienced by so many throughout the country. Even to watch it on television, it is clear it is a shocking experience for anyone to have his or her home invaded by water. One's home, above all else, is the one place one thinks of as being a refuge and safe.

There were a number of messages from the terrible events of the past few days. First, on the quick response of the Taoiseach and the Government, the fact that the Taoiseach visited all of the flashpoints was very much appreciated. It underlined clearly that the Government was anxious to respond promptly. It also was important to respond by committing financial assistance.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Mansergh, who has been right at the heart of matters, not just throughout the country but in the town of Clonmel also. There has been high praise for him today which I am sure he does not need for the manner in which he made himself available at the coalface.

Let me make a suggestion. Everybody is underlining the nature of the crisis and emergency. That is true but there is a need at local level to bring together all those with resources and also those in the commmunity who want to help. It is overwhelming the way communities react in times of crisis. We should formalise this and bring the various groupings together almost like - I do not mean this in the wrong sense - a council of war because there may be a degree of fragmentation. There is potential in this and I recommend that statutory and community bodies come together. It would indicate clearly to those on the receiving end of this terrible crisis that we were united because Irish people are good when it comes to such matters.