Vol. 552 No. 3
50 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Finance the progress made to date regarding the scheme being operated by the Office of Public Works and the Red Cross to provide humanitarian aid for those whose homes and properties were damaged in flooding on 1 February 2002. [12410/02]
The Government acted very quickly to deal with the situation which arose following the severe flooding which took place in various locations around the country over 1 and 2 February 2002. On 5 February the Government decided to put in place a scheme of humanitarian aid, to be administered by the Irish Red Cross Society, to provide assistance to those who had suffered severe hardship as a result of the flooding. Advertisements giving full details of how to apply for assistance under the scheme first appeared in the national newspapers on 7 February and radio and television adverts for the scheme were first broadcast on 8 February. The advertising campaign for the scheme continued in all media at regular intervals until the closing date for completed applications on 1 March 2002.
The criteria under which people could claim relief were death, serious injury, homelessness, damage to home, loss of income and extreme hardship. It is important to bear in mind that the humanitarian aid scheme provided for relief from hardship and not full compensation for losses. All applications received under the scheme were dealt with on a strictly confidential basis in accordance with the Red Cross fundamental principle of impartiality and its proven experience and expertise in disaster relief nationally and internationally. In each area the Irish Red Cross worked closely with the community welfare officer and the local council representative.
A total of 715 applications were received, 80% from the Dublin area and 20% from the rest of the country. Approximately 93% of the applications were from households and 7% from small businesses. Of the households, 81% were from the Dublin area and 19% from the rest of the country. All the applications from small businesses were from the Dublin area. All assessments have been completed except for ten which are special cases and are awaiting more information. The Red Cross has estimated the total cost of aid payments under the scheme at €8.5million. Funding for the scheme was provided through the Office of Public Works' Vote 44 – Flood Relief – and transferred to the Irish Red Cross special flood relief bank account. Aid cheque payments were mailed out to the Dublin area before Easter and the cheques for the areas outside Dublin were mailed in the last two weeks.
Some representations about individual amounts paid were received by the Irish Red Cross from local public representatives and residents associations. The Red Cross agreed to accept appeals from anyone who had a complaint. Some 26 appeals have been received and these are currently being reassessed. I take this opportunity to express the Government's appreciation to the Irish Red Cross and to commend them for their professionalism and speed in dealing with a very difficult and demanding situation.
