Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House for this very important debate on the flooding issue. The problems are clearly not his fault and he has inherited a position where his predecessor, Dr. Martin Mansergh, put much work in on a number of schemes. Like other speakers, I must be somewhat parochial. I will mention a few places that were flooded that, historically - or at least in my lifetime - have not been flooded. The problems may have come about through a mixture of types of carelessness, with local authorities not doing the basic groundwork in cleaning culverts, gullies and drains.

One of the areas is where I reside currently in Schull. That has been flooded in the past two consecutive years, although it is hard to imagine a village near the sea being flooded by a tiny stream. I have never received a clear answer on the issue and sometimes local authorities are afraid to admit that rivers, streams and culverts etc. have not been cleared. It is also unusual for Clonakilty to be severely flooded, as it is not on a major river. I have no doubt my west Cork colleagues in the Dáil, particularly Deputy Jim Daly, have advanced that cause fairly well. Not far from Clonakilty, the village of Rathbarry was severely flooded this year. It is a small village in the heartland of a great Fine Gael orator and former Member of this and the other House, the late John L. O'Sullivan. He served on the county council with me.

I would also like the Minister of State to report progress on schemes, one of which is well under way in Bandon. The Minister of State was down there last year and I compliment him on the progress in that regard. I was on my way from Dublin on 19 November some three years ago and was caught by the floods there. The brakes on my car were destroyed and it cost ¤1,200 to get them repaired. When the hot brake pads hit a flood of water, they were bent and I could not make it to Bandon the following day. The only hotel in Bandon is the Munster Arms and in the public bar area, the water reached a foot from the ceiling, or approximately eight ft. There were some frightening experiences there. I know work is in progress and some of the river is being dredged.

There is an outstanding item in Skibbereen, where a report has been done. Floods would historically have come in winter, when there is more rain, but unfortunately, this summer had instances where flooding occurred because of very heavy rain. What, if anything, has happened with the Skibbereen project? I do not expect the Minister of State to have all these answers off the top of his head but he might communicate the progress to me. I am not here to set a trap for the Minister of State rather to raise issues of importance to me. I understand if the Minister of State does not have the answers today.

I have raised the following issue on two occasions on the Order of Business, and other speakers have touched on this. There should be a way to ensure business owners and householders can get continued cover from their insurers. If there is a threat of flooding in particular towns, many people can be hit; in Clonakilty and Skibbereen, for example, people who have been flooded are not being insured. The issue may cut across several Departments but is there any possibility of a universal system of insurance? We all pay a contribution to ensure compensation is made to some degree if a person who causes a motor accident does not have insurance. Has any progress been made on such a system?

We all know of flooding cases affecting the west or areas around the River Suir; Clonmel has been badly hit in the past and there are schemes in places like Fermoy and Mallow which are well advanced. It is a double whammy for people whose properties are flooded, with businesses suffering for several weeks, that there is no possibility of being insured in the event of another flood.

I have often been critical of the OPW but to be fair, over the years significant progress has been made in places like Kilkenny, Clonmel, Fermoy and Mallow. I have no doubt that in places like Bandon and towns in west Cork, there will be progress as well. The history of flooding in Skibbereen, in particular, indicates it would be a major event once every ten years. When flood waters have risen on a couple of instances, voluntary bodies helped to put in sandbags. On two or three occasions the water came within a hair's breadth of flooding the town and its premises. I visited many of the people in Skibbereen, including older people living in the path of flooding. There is no doubt in my mind about some of the big problems in Skibbereen. A welcome relief road was built but I have spoken to some experts and although I am not an engineer, the bridge system does not seem capable of coping with the type of flooding experienced in the town. The water came through the GAA pitch on the last occasion and the ducts in the bridge could not cope with the water, leading to the water backing up. A house belonging to a retired Garda sergeant was flooded three times and when he tried to repair flood damage, he had an unfortunate accident with a saw.

To add insult to injury, he lost a couple of fingers. Three or four houses near the GAA pitch were never flooded. They should take this into account for the flood relief programme for the Ilen River, which is a substantial river coming from the mountains in Castledonovan and through Drimoleague and the parish of Caheragh. They will never admit they were wrong and I am not looking for an admission. Builders, developers and local authorities build on flood plains but giving permission for that is criminal. It is well recognised, going back many years. When the Skibbereen programme is rolled out, it should be done in such a way that people can be hopeful for the next 40 years.

I was listening to a debate on the radio concerning the fact that potatoes will be expensive because farmers were not able to harvest potatoes due to the bad weather this summer. A few days previously, I had read about farmers in Spain, Portugal or Italy where they make money out of olive oil. It was a dry, arid summer and the olive crop failed. They expected the price of olive oil to go through the roof. In Ireland we were worried about the humble spud and in parts of the Mediterranean they were worried about the price of olive oil. We cannot win.

I wish the Minister of State well in his brief. He has always been forthcoming in the Seanad. By the time he completes his career in this Department, I hope many of the towns and villages I mentioned will be sorted for good and glory. I hope the Minister of State will not be elevated too quickly.