Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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Question 67: To ask the Minister for Finance following the flooding which took place in November 2009 in areas (details supplied) in County Galway and at which the Office of Public Works are now carrying out remedial works, his plans to ensure that householders are fully insured in the event of this flooding recurring again in the future. [16716/11]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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The question of providing cover to new policyholders or renewing it for existing ones is a matter for each insurance company to decide on a case by case basis. This allows a company to assess properly the risk it is considering accepting. Consequently, I am not in a position to comment on particular cases as neither the Central Bank nor I, as Minister for Finance, have any influence over such matters. The Government cannot put pressure on insurance companies to accept or to reject policyholders. However, it should be noted that the industry has informed my Department that it is reluctant to discontinue flood cover for existing policyholders, and would generally only do so where there have been repeated claims. The best option open to homeowners in the areas concerned, who are unable to obtain flood insurance cover or to renew existing cover, is to contact the Irish Insurance Federation which operates a free Information Service. Their service can be contacted at (01) 6761914 or by email at iis@iif.ie.