Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghlacadh leat as ucht deis a thabhairt dom an tábhar tábhachtach seo a ardú sa Dáil. Is ocht seachtain atá i gceist anseo agus tá na daoine seo gan fáil ar a gcuid tithe ar feadh an ama sin.
For the past two months the plight of the people of the south Galway-north Clare area has made headlines. However, at times the ongoing human tragedy behind the headlines has not been so obvious. Last January's floods have forced approximately 20 families in the south Galway-north Clare area to leave their homes. These people still do not know when their homes will be sufficiently dried out to permit them to return. Even worse is the fear that having dried out their houses, undertaken expensive repairs and moved back they will find themselves in the same situation next year. This is perhaps the most horrendous aspect of this huge tragedy.
I ask the Minister for the Environment to examine this problem as a matter of urgency. As nobody can guarantee that these houses will not be flooded for an extended period next year. I ask the Minister to consider providing immediate financial aid to these families to enable them purchase alternative sites and build new houses in areas which are not likely to be flooded.
I wish to nail a rumour which has been circulating in Galway, and other areas. I can state categorically that none of the houses affected was the subject of section 4 resolutions passed by Galway County Council. I can also state that some of the houses which were worst affected this year had never been subject to serious flooding in the past. However, this flooding could occur again. The Department of the Environment should give each of the families £50,000 to relocate on the basis that the existing houses would become the property of the State and any insurance compensation due to the householder would also be signed over to it. I make this suggestion for the simple reason that at present many of these people do not know what compensation they will get. They have been told that the floods will have to have subsided before the insurance companies can finalise their assessments. Given that the State would own the houses and would receive any insurance compensation forthcoming, the net cost of such a scheme would be relatively small. It would be a small amount considering the ongoing human tragedy involved.
These people have had to move in with neighbours and relatives or rent rooms in boarding houses. Obviously, this has been very traumatic and difficult for them. It is not acceptable that they should have to face this problem on an annual basis. I hope the Minister will give my suggestion favourable consideration. This would be tangible evidence that the visits paid by Government Ministers to the Gort area of south Galway were not for media consumption but rather were undertaken out of a real concern for the unfortunate people who have been affected by this tragedy. I look forward to an immediate and positive response from the Minister. I believe in the old adage that actions speak louder than words.
Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghlacadh leis an Aire Stáit as ucht teacht isteach agus éisteacht leis an achainí seo. Ní dóigh liomsa gur féidir dóthain a dhéanamh do na daoine seo mar go bhfuil siad buailte go dona — daoine a thóg tithe, a bhfuil a gcroíthe agus a n-anamnacha sna tithe seo. Tá siad scriosta go deo agus bheinn ag súil go bhféadfaí rud beag éigin a dhéanamh dóibh le cinntiú nach dtarlóidh an rud céanna an bhliain seo chugainn do na daoine seo.
