David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 470: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the amount that has been made available under the emergency flood relief for flood victims; the criteria governing the use of this funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2444/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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In recognition of the devastation suffered by people in many areas of the country as a result of the flooding from November 2009 onwards the Government set up a Humanitarian Assistance Scheme to provide income tested financial support to people who have suffered damages to their homes not covered by insurance. An initial sum of €10million has been set aside by the Government for this purpose.

Community Welfare Service staff throughout the country have been providing support to families since this flooding occurred. Up to the 15 January 2010 they had already made over 1,861 payments to 1,091 individuals to the value of €744,000. The average payment per individual is €680, with the largest payment to an individual in excess of €20,000. Initially, the vast bulk of applications for humanitarian assistance were for small amounts to assist with basics such as food, clothing, bedding, heating and the hire of dehumidifiers.

As the flood waters began to recede in some areas and householders were able to assess the extent of damage to the contents of their homes, claims have been submitted and approved for items such as carpets, flooring, furniture and white goods.

While assistance is available for structural repairs to homes not covered by household insurance, very few large scale claims have been made at this stage. This is because homeowners have not yet established the cost of repair in many cases, for example because they are awaiting builder's estimates. As the flood waters have receded in most areas, individuals are now in a better position to assess the extent of the damage to their homes. It is expected that large scale claims will be received over the coming weeks.

Application forms and information about the Humanitarian Assistance Fund are available from the Department of Social and Family Affairs website, www.welfare.ie. This material is also available through the Citizens Information Service, and the HSE website, www.HSE.ie.