Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 308: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the actions he intends to take in conjunction with all other relevant Departments to alleviate the hardship caused by flooding on the Shannon area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45291/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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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 1,000 initial emergency payments to people in areas impacted by flooding; the average payments being made at this stage are €350. Officers will continue to make these payments as long as there is a requirement to do so.

In addition to this, a Humanitarian Assistance Scheme has been set up to provide means-tested financial support to people who have suffered damages to their homes. An initial sum of €10million has been set aside by the Government for this purpose.

As the 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 is available for structural repairs to homes not covered by household insurance. Costs of medical treatment and supplies may also be considered in determining assistance where medical cover is not already in place i.e. private health insurance or medical card.

The level of payment available under the aid scheme to any 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 provides hardship alleviation as opposed to full compensation. As on previous occasions, commercial or business losses are not covered by the scheme nor are losses which are covered by household insurance. Humanitarian assistance is not an alternative to insurance in cases where household insurance was available on a reasonable basis. However, where insurance cover is not available because of previous flooding claims, a person may claim humanitarian assistance. Assistance does not cover damage to private rented accommodation or local authority accommodation, though humanitarian assistance may be considered in the case of a tenant's personal belongings.

Applications under the scheme are being means tested to ensure that available assistance is prioritised for those who are most vulnerable.

In addition to the means test, other factors will also be considered by the Community Welfare Service in assessing individual applications, including:

Whether the applicant is or was homeless as a result of the flooding.

Age profile of family members i.e. babies, young children or elderly persons.

Availability of support from the wider family; and

The special needs that 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 in relation to the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme are available from the Community Welfare Service in the affected areas and from the Department's website (www.welfare.ie ) and the HSE's website (www.hse.ie).

The Department and the Community Welfare Service of the HSE are both working with the Emergency Response Coordination Committee and the various statutory and other agencies working in this area, to ensure that the humanitarian assistance scheme will go towards alleviating the hardship which many hundreds of families have had to endure.