Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Seanadóir nua, James Carroll, agus déanaim comhghairdeas leis. In welcoming Senator Carroll I am conscious that, like Senator O'Malley, he is joining a political party with an opinion poll rating that has fallen drastically - in Senator O'Malley's case, the party has disappeared.

I second Senator Fitzgerald's amendment to the Order of Business. As someone who comes from an area suffering from flooding, where people are deprived of water and hundreds have been displaced, I am calling for more than an hour's debate. The Minister must also answer questions. I am not trying to score points but the people of Cork, Galway, Clare, Limerick and Athlone deserve and require answers. They require answers from the ESB about the release of water from Inniscarra and Ardnacrusha. They also require answers from the Government, particularly the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, as to why there was no early warning system. The events of the weekend demonstrate the need for a national independent investigation into what happened. The people of Cork require and deserve answers.

As someone immersed in the community, I recognise the patriotic reaction of the citizens of Cork, the Defence Forces, Civil Defence, the Garda and front-line staff of the public service. The HSE and Cork City Council deserve to be praised because they put people first. Senator Fitzgerald is right, however - the linkage between the Government and the failure in the last couple of weeks is the lack of leadership. The Minister for Finance and the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government announced a fund of €10 million, placing the onus on community welfare officers who are already inundated with claims.