Terry Brennan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The scale and intensity of the recent storms is a stark reminder to us all of the destructive power of nature and the importance of our never under-estimating it. Like others, I acknowledge the tremendous efforts of the emergency response teams who put themselves on the front line in often appalling and dangerous conditions and whose dedication and skills so often help to mitigate the very worst affects of storms. I thank all those who left their families over Christmas and the new year for their work during that time, when many of us where, perhaps, sitting in the comfort of our homes enjoying ourselves. It is appropriate we thank all of those involved in the emergency services, local authorities, Garda Síochána and ESB. One can only imagine what it would be like to be at the top of 35 ft. or 40 ft. high pole in high winds and rain, which is what ESB personnel had to do in order to return services to people who badly need them, in particular at Christmas time. I congratulate all involved.

Many Senators have mentioned the Office of Public Works. The Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, recently acknowledged his responsibility in this area and said that he would play his part. The OPW has already written to the local authorities indicating that it will consider applications for funding to assist in the cost of repairs to damaged coastal flood protection structures, including sea walls, rock armour and embankments, including the embankment at Bellurgan in Dundalk which is need of repair.

It has been threatened twice in the past and houses in the Bellurgan area have been flooded. Will the Minister give consideration to repairing the damage there? In Whitestown Shore, Bellurgan, Termonfeckin and Baltray, roads have been washed away and are in urgent need of repair.

We must examine the mistakes that were made which have contributed to the flooding problems we are experiencing. Much has been done and much progress has been made in tackling flooding problems, with almost €370 million invested from 1995 to date in flood risk management measures which have protected 10,500 properties and delivered benefits to the estimated value of more than €1 billion in terms of damage and losses avoided. This is a very significant achievement by any measure. Of course much more work remains to be done, and this Government has prioritised investment in flood risk management by allocating €225 million over the period 2012 to 2017 as part of its infrastructural capital investment programme. It is hoped to continue this and I believe the task will be undertaken and completed safely in many of the areas liable to flooding.