Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Tá brón orm nach raibh mé anseo nuair a bhí sé ag tabhairt a aitheasc. Bhí mé thíos ag coiste eile. Tá mé an-sásta go bhfuil an díospóireacht seo againn. Tá go leor deacrachtaí cruthaithe i gConamara maidir leis na fadhbanna a bhí ann ó thaobh na haimsire de.

The area where I live in Connemara, County Galway, was one of the worst hit by the storms. I walked many places along the sea front where I had not walked for quite a while, for example, down piers, through graveyards, etc., in the days immediately following the storm. I was shocked by the devastation. I had never seen anything like it. I spoke with people who were in their 80s, but they had never seen anything like it either.

I was disappointed with the Government's reaction. No senior Minister visited Connemara to see the damage, nor did any Minister see the incredible effort invested in the clean-up operation. Considerable praise must be given to the members of the local services, for example, the fire brigades and councils, as well as to the volunteers who pulled together to ensure that people were safe and the mess could be cleaned up. A cohesive approach was lacking from the Government, though.

I saw a marked difference between Galway city and county. I will not point fingers, as this is too big an issue, but the infrastructural damage done at county level is much greater. For example, more damage has been done to roads, piers, graveyards, houses, slipways, etc. Much of the flood damage in Galway city is more easily rectifiable. I am afraid that we have underestimated the storms' cost to rural areas. County councils' estimates may be too low.

This situation has highlighted a lack of forward planning in many respects. We cut back on county council staff numbers on the ground during the past ten or 15 years. For this reason, they have not been able to carry out the same level of drainage or road works as they used to. We have seen the consequences, for example, flooding in areas that were never so badly affected. We must learn from this situation and look forward.

We need more staff on the ground to ensure that drainage culverts are cleared. I have walked along the shoreline in many different areas. In my view, more money needs to be invested in tidal erosion measures. While there was little damage in areas where breakwaters and proper tidal protection walls had been erected, in other areas where these defences had not been built roadways and pathways were washed away.

I spoke this morning to a lady from Carna, whose local roadway, by which she accesses her home, was washed away. I understand that the councils have made lists of the priority issues for them. I have been told that they will not be responsible for repair of roads that are not county council roads. Perhaps the Minister of State will clarify if that is the case. The lady to whom I spoke this morning told me that a temporary road, running through a neighbour's field, has been put in place to enable her to take her children to and from school. As there is no road by which a tanker can access her home she is unable to get oil and has had no home heating for the last number of weeks and no refuse collection. This lady has been told by the council that as the road that was washed away was not a county council road, replacing it is not its problem. She has already paid €8,000 in respect of the temporary access put in place and has been told it will cost at least €22,000 to make it safer and that no new road will be put in place by the council. Perhaps the Minister of State will outline what will happen in this situation.

The islands of Inishbofin, Inis Mór, Inis Meáin and Inis Oírr were also badly hit. Of particular note was that it was very hard to get through to the county councils during the days of the storms. While staff on the ground were very good they were too few and far between. People have learned in the interim that councils will not engage with them on non-council related issues. The approach across government is scattered. While the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the OPW and county councils all have a role to play in this area, there is no joined-up approach or thinking on the matter. I am also hearing from councils that even though they have already submitted lists of works requiring to be done to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, they have not yet received any response.

An emergency fund should have been put in place to allow emergency works to be carried out. In some cases, the walls of graveyards have been washed away and many coffins have been left exposed to the elements. Fisherman have lost their tackle and boats have been thrown up into fields and destroyed. We do not yet know if they will be provided with compensation to help them get back to where they were prior to the storms. Insurance is another concern. People are worried lest they will be refused future flood insurance cover. All of this raises the question of where stands the Climate Change Bill, climate change being the broader issue which needs to be addressed in this regard.

There is no sense of urgency on the part of Government in relation to a number of issues. I wish somebody from the Government had come to see the devastation caused in my area, which is a lot worse than it appeared on television. Some people remain cut off. We need a greater response in these types of situations and to ensure that anybody who is out of pocket is compensated and reinstated to the position they were in prior to the storms. I am not asking for the construction of platinum clad roadways but that facilities be returned to the state they were in prior to the storms.