Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

Since I know the area well personally, I am aware of the devastation the flooding caused, the considerable disruption that families suffered and how long it has taken for the area to begin to recover from the disastrous floods. I acknowledge Senator White's interest in the topic and I thank her for raising the matter. In recognition of the devastation suffered by people in many areas of the country as a result of the flooding from November 2009 onwards, the previous Government set up a humanitarian assistance scheme to provide income-tested financial support to people who have suffered damage to their homes not covered by insurance. The scheme had two objectives. First, it provided financial and other assistance without an income test in the immediate aftermath of the flooding. Second, it provided income tested financial support for the replacement of essential household items and home repairs in cases not covered by insurance. The community welfare service of the Health Service Executive, HSE, provided support to households under the humanitarian assistance scheme, with payments being made to more than 1,300 individuals to the value of almost €1.7 million throughout the country.

The bulk of the overall cost of repairing the damage caused to individuals' homes by the flooding was met through insurance policies held by the people affected. Most of the payments made under the humanitarian assistance scheme were in respect of immediate needs such as clothing, food, bedding and emergency accommodation needs. I am certain people remember what took place at the time. These emergency payments were made without delay and without regard to the household income because the primary objective was to address people's immediate needs. The level of payment available under the aid scheme to any qualified individual depended on the severity of the damage to that person's home and the extent of the loss experienced as well as household income and general family circumstances. The scheme provided hardship alleviation as opposed to full compensation.

As on previous occasions, commercial or business losses were not covered by the scheme nor were losses which were covered by household insurance. For various reasons, a small number of people have been unable to resume living at their home and others, while they have resumed living at their home, are still faced with significant problems arising from the flooding. It is also the case that some householders who continue to experience significant housing problems as a result of the November 2009 flooding are considering the possibility of relocating rather than returning to their original home.

In light of this, the previous Government decided in November 2010 that the Department of Social Protection could hold a provision of up to €4 million to assist up to 20 households towards relocation costs in situations with certain conditions. These conditions included that serious and permanent damage had been caused to the family home by the November 2009 flooding; that there is a high probability of a recurrence of serious flooding because of flood depth, duration or frequency on a scale that could further damage the family home; and that the house cannot be protected from flooding at an economically feasible cost. I understand that applies in several cases because if one knows the area one would be aware how prone it is to flooding. Another condition is that the household is unable to secure insurance against flooding as a result of the November 2009 floods. If people cannot get insurance afterwards, they remain in a difficult situation. Support will only be considered for relocation in cases where the cost of remedial works would exceed the cost of relocation, as determined by the Office of Public Works. The following considerations will also apply - the gross cost of relocation underpinning the level of support provided will not exceed the cost of providing a reasonable home in the area in question, as determined by the local authority; and the existing house must be demolished and the site must be rehabilitated, which may require planning permission from the local authority. I have no wish to outline why, unfortunately, in the case of some family homes on flood plains there is no real chance of preventing their being flooded in future if there are unusual levels of flooding and rain such as happened in 2009.

If the household has settled a claim with its insurance company, the funds provided in settlement of that claim will be taken into account in determining the funding, if any, provided for relocation. Beneficiaries will be required to instruct their insurance company to provide the information in the regard. The household of the person concerned and all the other households have been visited by departmental officials and reports of their individual circumstances have been completed. The Department has received a report from the Office of Public Works regarding the house of the person concerned and it expects to make a decision on the case in the coming weeks. We want to get people back to their homes but we also want to ensure when they return that they are in a home, which having been repaired, remediated or rebuilt will not be destroyed again quickly in another flood. I appreciate very much the stress for families. My officials have done a good job on this scheme and, hopefully, they will complete it soon.