asked the Minister for Agriculture whether he is aware of the critical flooding situation in North Galway, and, if so, if he will allocate a substantial grant for the alleviation of distress in the area.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - North Galway Floods.
asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state whether the Government have any proposals under consideration for the immediate relief of distress in the flooded areas of North Galway, and, if so, the nature of such proposals.
As Questions Nos. 43 and 44 relate to the same subject, I propose, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to take them together.
I am not aware that a critical situation obtains in North Galway because of flooding, or that a grant from State funds for the alleviation of distress in that area is called for.
Is the Minister really serious when he states that he is not aware that this position exists in North Galway?
The Deputy asked me to state whether the Government have any proposals under consideration for the immediate relief of distress in the flooded areas of North Galway, to which I have replied that I am not aware that a critical situation obtains in North Galway for which the provision of State funds is necessary for the alleviation of distress.
I have made a careful survey of this area and, so far as my information goes, 39 holdings have been affected by flooding. The total area of the holdings involved is 1,355 acres. The total area of land flooded is 497 acres. No live stock have been lost in the area. Eleven houses were evacuated, involving about 25 adults and 14 children. Alternative accommodation was, happily, found for them all by friends and neighbours with the exception of one family which was provided for elsewhere. The Army removed two tons of corn from a mill and furniture from two of the houses and gave certain other help.
A local committee was established, under the chairmanship of the Archbishop of Tuam, to collect funds for the relief of the persons affected. It is understood that, at present, the fund amounts to about £1,000. There are only 39 holdings affected. If there is £1,000 available to the local committee, I do not think there can be any urgent need for the appropriation of public funds to relieve these 39 persons until the local fund has been disbursed. If that should prove unequal to the urgent demands for the relief of distress in the area, then the Government would be quite prepared to consider the matter.
So it is not the intention of the Government at the moment to take steps to do anything in the area?
Thirty-nine families were affected by the flooding. A thousand pounds are available to the local committee. Is it reasonable to say that further action by the State does not appear to be called for—beyond what the Army has already done— until that £1,000 has been used for the relief of the families for which it was gathered? That seems to me to be a reasonable position for the present.
Is the Minister aware that the potato crop losses in that area are valued at over £2,600; that, between beet, turnip, mangolds and other crops, the losses are valued at about £1,700? No estimate is available of the losses in respect of oats, hay and other such crops in that area. In such circumstances, are we to take it that the Government have just sat idly by and propose to do nothing? People in this area had to leave their homes as far back as the 20th October last. There is no hope that these people will be able to go back to their homes for months.
Nonsense!
I beg the Minister's pardon. The Minister has, sitting on a seat beside him, a Parliamentary Secretary who knows that what I have said is true. If Deputy Hession were present in the House now——
Deputy Killilea is misled.
I can give the Minister the names of persons who are on the road yet.
Happily, nobody is on, the road. Everybody, I think, is comfortably provided with accommodation by a friend or a neighbour in any temporary dislocation they have experienced. The Deputy may rest assured that the closest contact is being kept in regard to the situation and that nobody will be allowed to suffer.
You are doing nothing: that is all.
I think I should add that the Deputy will recall that, in introducing the Estimate to Dáil Éireann, I made it perfectly clear, on behalf of the Government, that it was impossible to contemplate compensation for losses sustained but that our object was to relieve and prevent distress.
And you have done neither the one nor the other in that area.
Question No. 45.