Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)

I bring to the attention of the Leader the plight of property owners in various towns who in 2009 suffered severe losses due to flooding. The night of 19 November 2009 was an appalling night. There was six feet of water in some properties in Bandon, Skibbereen was flooded on three occasions, as was Clonakilty and many other towns. Many of these properties, not all of them commercial, cannot get insurance because once bitten, twice shy. If any of us was driving a car and we had an accident, we would expect to pay an extra premium to be reinsured, but there seems to be a blanket shutdown in these cases. Some of these towns have recurring problems with flooding, I hope not this year. I am not too sure of the appropriate Minister, but I would ask for a debate in the House on that issue. A popular hostelry in Bandon was closed for eight months because the flooding was so severe. Dance floors had to be ripped up and so on. There were three incidences of flooding in Skibbereen in November and December 2009.

I have been contacted by many homeowners about the issue. Would the Leader ask the Government whether a universal system of insurance could be introduced? These floods are an act of God. Sometimes they occur every ten years and sometimes every 50 years, but owing to our wet climate, they are likely to occur again. We should have a debate in this House and I hope that this could be done before the end of November, which is the anniversary of the serious flooding, which also occurred in Galway, Clonmel and many other towns. It is unfair that householders, elderly people and commercial owners, who have suffered enough, now cannot get insurance. It is nothing short of scandalous and I hope we can have a debate in this House as soon as is practicable on that issue.