Terry Brennan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I support the call for a debate on child benefit. I give the example of two young men from the same townland who were educated together and who both qualified from UCD. One family togged the son out in all the gear to do his interviews, having been so successful, whereas the other family bought a Renault 21 for their successful student. My point is that both families were receiving children's allowance but one family needed it and, in my opinion, the other did not. Both mothers came together and stated that most of the cost of the car was from saving the children's allowance. Something must be done.

On another issue, maps were drawn up at the beginning of the last century, about 1907, indicating areas of the country liable to flooding. In recent times we have had flooding, the overflowing of rivers and so on. I call on the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, to initiate an up-to-date mapping of the country indicating the areas liable to flooding. Parents built houses 40 years ago in designated areas where there has been no flooding-----