Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

A small village in south Cork, Ballinspittle, was badly flooded at 5 o'clock this morning. A torrent of rain came down through the valley and washed out businesses such as restaurants and pubs, while several residential properties were badly damaged. This is happening more frequently. Today is the second time in three months that Ballinspittle has been flooded, with the same houses and restaurants in the same location affected. In every town and village, the potential to be flooded is now a continuous threat and putting flood defences in place is becoming the big issue.

We need to fast-track these issues. There are so many environmental impact assessments and everything else that the process takes too long, and the knock-on implication is that villages such as Ballinspittle are being affected. They are being washed out. I really feel for the families who were affected at 5 o'clock this morning. Their properties have been destroyed. The fire services did a fantastic job, as always, and I compliment them on that.

We should immediately put a humanitarian fund in place for the businesses and households that are affected. It should be a rolling fund and we should not have to wait for the Minister of State to announce it. If you are affected by a flood, you should not have to wait for a ministerial order. It should be the case automatically that you can get the funding.

In any event, how long we are waiting for these flood defences is the big issue. We need to fast-track it. Otherwise, properties and lives will be put at risk.