Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)

The contracts will be signed in January. They have gone to pre-tender.

The Senator will be aware of the works that have been done in Waterford, which look fairly well. As far as I appreciate, they have not prevented flooding in Waterford because the scheme there is not complete. There are a number of towns with flood relief schemes, including Ennis, Waterford, Clonmel and Mallow. The one in Fermoy is only just starting. All these works should be completed within the next couple of years. There is no political interference whatsoever in terms of the selection of towns or cities in which projects must be progressed. The schemes are based purely on need. The main political task is to ensure funding is in place to support the schemes. Over the past two or three weeks, before the flooding problem of the past few days, I and senior officials were in conversation with the Department of Finance about next year's budget. Since I was appointed, I have accorded that the highest priority in my office.

It is important to stress there is not a cap on the schemes run by the community welfare officer in respect of distress caused by flooding. The €10 million, which is an initial allocation, has been deemed insufficient by many but, as the Taoiseach said, it is important to establish a budget line. The same applies to the agricultural aspect which involves a separate scheme. The important point is to establish the principle. If the funding is insufficient, I am sure it can be increased. The Taoiseach stated on the Order of Business that the county enterprise boards may have a role to play with regard to business.

Senator O'Reilly raised the question of relatively small incidents in Cavan which were none the less very severe to the people concerned. If my geography is correct, Cavan is more covered by lakes and water than any other county. Perhaps, therefore, the lakes take care of some of the problem.

As I stated in my initial contribution, the point is that there is a small works scheme. It was established by the OPW in the middle of last year. One aspect pertains to inland works and another to coastal works. It is open to local authorities to make applications to the OPW for assistance with relatively minor works that will make a difference.

We have a framework for emergency management. It was put in place in recent years and enables the Garda, the Health Service Executive and local authorities to prepare for and make a co-ordinated response to a variety of major emergencies, including flooding. It enables them to co-ordinate their efforts whenever a major emergency occurs. At county level, both in Clare and Tipperary, I have seen the system working very well.

My office, while not the primary response agency in such emergencies, has nevertheless supplemented the efforts of the local authorities in recent days by offering them services, manpower and equipment in addition to undertaking measures regarding its own schemes and defences. For example, in the mid-west, the OPW has provided pumping facilities in Plassey, Limerick and the Sixmilebridge-Bunratty area. It has also drafted in pumping facilities to Ennis and Shannon Banks and various areas of Limerick to help with circumstances there. As I saw myself, the OPW has been very active in the Galway and south Mayo areas by providing pumping facilities to clear roads and help relieve flooding around housing in less urban areas. The staff are in the affected areas all the time offering advice and collecting data. They also undertake aerial surveys. It is very important to have photos of the extent of the damage so the current floods can be compared with others.

With regard to Cork city wall, a preliminary assessment of all the defences in Cork city has been undertaken as part of the LeeCFRAM study. The assessment shows that all of the defences are generally in poor condition. To provide the necessary protection against fluvial flooding, it will most likely be necessary to replace existing defences rather than increase their height. The highest priority in the LeeCFRAM study is to increase flood forecasting so the ESB will have at least four days of warning before adhering to a set of regulations to be drawn up with regard to the release of water. This may be a joined-up system between the OPW and ESB. The LeeCFRAM plan is likely to be put out for public consultation within the next four weeks for 12 weeks. In the interim, the wall that was knocked down will be assessed as soon as possible and any action necessary will be decided upon jointly by the OPW and Cork City Council.

There has been much reference to drainage schemes. With regard to arterial drainage, the OPW has responsibility for a network of channels throughout the country as a result of arterial drainage schemes carried out under the 1945 Act. In this regard, it carries out an annual maintenance programme. The programme has an annual budget of approximately €19 million. In light of recent flooding events, the programme will be reviewed and, if necessary, changes made thereto.

I noted a point made by Senator Norris on the need to draw up a list of significant buildings, including cultural buildings and hospitals, that might be at risk of flooding. Many of us are upset that the art collections in UCC have been jeopardised by there being insufficient time to move them to a safe place.

Planning guidelines will need to be adhered to strictly when published. This will require changes in attitudes because, to date, people have sometimes taken the view that one should not worry too much about a flood plain if there is an attractive development thereon. We will have to worry about this in the future. Development plans will have to protect against flooding much better than they have done in the past. Preferably the developments should not be built on the flood plains at all.

I take the point that planners have, on the whole, tended to keep heights and hills free of development and to put housing lower down. This is a practice that will have to be examined. There are a lot of lessons to be learned from the experience of the past week or so on many levels. It is not a case of one solution being a panacea; a variety of measures will be required and different agencies will contribute to a solution. However, there is no doubt about the pressing priority attached to the issue. The flooding has brought us face to face in a way that floods in individual areas have not done with the real threat we are facing in the rest of this century and into the future. Other countries, especially what used to be called the Low Countries, had to put their defences in place 350 years ago. We will have to strengthen our defences no end.