Seanad debates

Tuesday, 1 December 2009

12:00 pm

Photo of Jerry ButtimerJerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me to raise the need for compensation for flood victims throughout the country, but especially in Cork city, on the Adjournment. I call on the Minister for Social and Family Affairs to outline the measures that will be put in place as a matter of urgency, in particular for the middle parish, Grattan Street and the Mardyke areas of Cork city.

We have had the wettest November on record with rain cascading down and causing flooding. This has displaced and wrecked family homes and the lives and livelihoods of many. I thank the Department for its work so far but fear it will make the humanitarian aid it has announced bureaucratic and cumbersome for people who need it.

Having visited people's homes and spoken to those affected the word "devastation" is an understatement of what they have suffered. The impact of the flooding is phenomenal. In Cork, hundreds of people were displaced as well as thousands of students from University College Cork. Part of the city was under water. I worry that we could create a situation in which home insurance will be impossible not just for those on the floodplain. Some houses will be uninsurable. University College Cork gave a briefing last weekend in which it said that the damage to 29 buildings is estimated at €25 million. One can multiply that out to the Mardyke, the Western Road, Grattan Street, Peter Street and Patrick Hanly Buildings where family homes have been decimated. Thankfully the flood water did not stay in Cork as long as it did in the west but the homes are in an unbelievable state. I was in a house last Saturday morning where even after a week of dehumidifiers working, the smell and the unsightly damage to the family home distressed people.

I note the Taoiseach's remark about the means-testing of the humanitarian aid but it is important we try to prevent this being a bureaucratic system, recognise that people are not looking to rip off the system and assist people in re-starting and restructuring their lives. I was in a house on Saturday whose occupier had lost all their medication, personal effects and belongings. Businesses have closed and employees are unable to work because of the nature of their jobs. Wages, livelihoods, stock and property have all been lost. I hope the Minister of State will give a positive response.

There has been a great outpouring of goodwill from the community welfare officers, the Department of Social and Family Affairs and the public sector. At a time when public servants are getting bad press, those in the city of Cork were to the forefront of the recovery work and deserve great praise. The spirit of Cork is alive. People are looking for assistance and I hope we can give them proper assistance.

Photo of Michael FinneranMichael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Senator Buttimer for raising this matter. The Government recognises the devastation suffered by people in many areas of the country as a result of the recent floods. Community welfare service staff throughout the country have been providing huge support to families every day since this flooding occurred. They have already provided emergency financial and other assistance to households affected by the flooding to cover items such as clothing, food, bedding, heating, hire of dehumidifiers and emergency accommodation needs. Community welfare officers have made over 470 initial emergency payments to people in areas affected by flooding. This includes 200 payments made in Cork. The average payment is €300. Officers will continue to make such payments as long as there is a requirement to do so.

In addition, a humanitarian assistance scheme is being initiated to provide means-tested financial support for people who have suffered damage to their homes. An initial sum of €10 million has been set aside by the Government for this purpose. As flood waters abate and people assess the full extent of the damage to their homes, qualified households can claim for essential household items such as carpets, flooring, furniture and white goods. Assistance will also be available for structural repairs to homes not covered by household insurance. The cost of medical treatment and supplies may also be considered in determining the payment of assistance where medical cover is not in place such as private health insurance or a medical card. The level of payment available under the aid scheme to a qualified individual will depend on the severity of the damage to that person's home and the extent of the loss experienced, as well as household income and general family circumstances. The scheme will provide for hardship alleviation, as opposed to full compensation. As on previous occasions, commercial or business losses will not be covered by the scheme, nor will losses covered by household insurance.

Applications under the scheme will be means tested to ensure the available assistance will be prioritised for those who are most vulnerable. Neither will the scheme cover damage to private rented accommodation or local authority accommodation, although humanitarian assistance may be considered in a case involving a tenant's personal belongings. The basic principle of the means test will be to determine a household's capacity to meet the cost of restoring their home to a habitable condition. All household income will be considered when determining entitlement to payment. However, account will be taken of outgoings such as rent or mortgage repayments, other loans and travel to work costs.

In addition to the means test, other factors will be considered by the community welfare service in assessing individual applications, including whether the applicant is or was homeless as a result of flooding; the age profile of family members such as babies, young children and elderly persons; the availability of support from the wider family; and the special needs people may have as a result of illness or disability. People seeking assistance should contact their local community welfare office. Further information and applications forms for the humanitarian assistance scheme are available from the community welfare service in the affected areas and on the Department's website, www.welfare.ie, and that of the HSE, www.hse.ie. While the scheme is not intended to provide full compensation for all losses and damage, it will go towards alleviating the hardship which many hundreds of families have had to endure.

Photo of Jerry ButtimerJerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State. It is important that we make the scheme non-bureaucratic, accessible and fast for the people affected.