Marie Moloney (Labour) | Oireachtas source

For the week that is in it we cannot leave the day go without mentioning the devastation and flooding caused by Storm Desmond in towns, villages and rural areas all over this country. In my own area, the towns of Killarney, Kenmare and Tralee have suffered very badly from flooding. Last night we heard the sad news that there had been one fatality and I extend my sympathies to the family of the elderly man who was swept away in his car. A package of measures is going before the Cabinet this morning and I am sure that we will have the details of the programme of work for recovery and preventative works to be carried out in the future.

I pay tribute to the emergency services that have worked tirelessly over the weekend. I refer to the ESB, the Garda, council workers, Civil Defence, Red Cross and the HSE. I could go on. People also volunteered their services. A great tribute must be paid to them all. They worked to restore power and clear floodwaters from areas.

I shall also mention the recklessness of the youths in Salthill. I do not know what they were trying to do or what their mental state was but they dived into the sea and recorded their antics. I presume they thought it would look good on Facebook or social media. What if they had got into difficulties? People would have had to rescue them. Had these youths any thought for rescuers who would put their lives in danger to rescue them or the families of their rescuers? The parents of the youths will be able to identify them. I hope that their parents will lay it on the line as to how reckless their behaviour was. On the flip side, we must pay tribute to the youths who were washed off the rocks at Hook Head and the young lad who held a girl's head over water until she was rescued. That shows the variation in the different types of carry-on by youths.

People may not realise that the Department of Social Protection plays a major role in responding to severe weather events and the aftermath. The Department can provide help, under supplementary welfare, for food, clothing and personal items. It will also assist in the replacement of white goods, basic furniture items and other essential household items. In addition, more extensive works can be carried out, including plastering, drylining, the relaying of floors, electrical rewiring and painting. The Department also has a humanitarian assistance scheme for larger jobs. Senators can let people who contact them know that such help is available. People may not be aware that the Department of Social Protection plays a role in responding to weather events.

On a lighter note, I welcome the fact that last week the Tánaiste launched a community employment pilot scheme for participants who are over 62 years of age. I spoke about this matter when we debated the Social Welfare Bill here and I know other Senators have spoken about the matter as well. People over 62 years have a lot of experience and life skills to offer. Many of them want to continue working and are happy to participate in community employment schemes. The pilot scheme is welcome and I hope that it will be extended to the rest of the country.

The Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Damien English, has responsibility for research, innovation and skills. Today, he published Innovation 2020 which is Ireland's five-year strategy for research and development in science and technology which is welcome. I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on the issue early in the new year so that we can learn what the proposal by the Minister of State contains.