Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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444. To ask the Minister for Defence the assistance given to those whose homes and other properties were flooded in past number of weeks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1100/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In accordance with the Framework for Major Emergency Management, primary responsibility for responding to severe weather events, such as the recent storms, rests with the three designated principal response agencies, namely the relevant Local Authority, An Garda Siochána, and the Health Service Executive. In accordance with agreed arrangements, all of the available resources of the Defence Forces and Civil Defence, are made available, upon request, to support these principal response agencies.

During the recent period of severe weather from the 4 December to date, the Defence Forces have responded positively to all requests for support received from all three principal response agencies. Most requests are from the Local Authorities, given their central role in the flood response. The extent of support provided has been considerable with the Defence Forces being deployed to multiple locations in counties Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Kerry, Clare, Kilkenny, Wexford, Westmeath, Limerick, Tipperary and Cork.

The main ways the Defence Forces have provided support include:

- assisting with the evacuation of people from flooded areas;

- assisting nurses and patients to get to hospital from flooded areas;

- maintaining flood defences, including the delivery;

- making and placing of sandbags;

- provision of pumps and maintaining pumping infrastructure including general oversight, clearing blockages in pipes and pipe intakes, and  general cleaning and housekeeping in vicinity of pumping operations;

- delivery of fodder for livestock; and assisting OPW with air reconnaissance of rivers and coastal areas.

The Defence Forces remain on standby at multiple locations to provide assistance as requests are received from the principal response agencies.

Civil Defence volunteers have been very involved in recent weeks assisting home owners and members of the public in almost every county. Civil Defence volunteers have engaged in a wide variety of tasks including sand bagging, pumping out houses, evacuating people from their homes, rescuing car drivers from flood waters, checking on vulnerable people, assisting nurses and home helps in getting through flood waters, bringing children to school, monitoring river levels and keeping people away from flood waters.

The Government approved the allocation of €5m to be distributed as emergency humanitarian support to small businesses, which through no fault of their own have been unable to secure flood insurance and have been flooded recently. The scheme, which is being administered by the Irish Red Cross, has now been extended to cover the flooding caused by the continued adverse weather into early January 2016 and will now also cover community, sports and voluntary bodies that could not secure flood insurance for their premises.

The scheme is aimed at providing a contribution to the costs of returning premises to their pre-flood condition including the replacement of flooring, fixtures and fittings and damaged stock. It only applies to premises that have been flooded and it is intended as an emergency humanitarian assistance contribution rather than compensation for loss or a replacement for the cover provided by insurance.

Applications under the €5,000 threshold are being paid following a quick verification process between the Irish Red Cross and the local authority responsible for the area in which the business was flooded. The Red Cross have appointed loss assessors to undertake damage assessments for applicants that have sought assistance above the €5,000 threshold.To date, the Red Cross have made more than 100 payments under the scheme totalling around €500,000. The Red Cross are continuing to receive and process applications on a daily basis. The Red Cross are due to commence the assessments for applications for amounts between €5,000 and €20,000 this week.