Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 29 Jan 2003

Vol. 560 No. 1

Written Answers. - Flood Relief.

Finian McGrath

Question:

256 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance if he will urgently intervene and assist the residents of Richmond Road, Clonturk Park, Grace Park Road and all areas in Dublin 9 devastated by the recent floods, particularly in relation to dredging the Tolka River, building higher walls along the river, compensation to all residents and insurance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27037/02]

Minister of State at the Department of Finance (Mr. Parlon)

At the request of Dublin City Council the Office of Public Works provided assistance following the severe flooding on 14-15 November 2002. This included some emergency works to the rear of houses off Tolka Road, which were in danger of subsiding, by constructing a new concrete wall, in the weeks after the flooding. Some trees, which were obstructing water flow, were also removed.

The city council has also asked the Office of Public Works for funding to carry out some flood alleviation measures which were identified in the interim report on the River Tolka catchment. The Office of Public Works has agreed to undertake emergency works in the form of the maintenance cleaning of the channel from Distillery Weir in Drumcondra to Glasnevin, to remove accumulated silt and debris in order to maximise channel capacity in this area. As part of the emergency works, embankments are being constructed from Woodville Road footbridge upstream along both sides of Griffith Park.

There is also a detailed package of works agreed, which is the subject of a public consultation procedure by the city council as required by Part 8 of the Planning and Development Regulations. These measures include the raising or construction of walls and embankments at various locations between Glasnevin and Drumcondra, replacement and raising of Woodville Road footbridge, and also the raising of some ground upstream of Tolka Park. Council officials hope to put the report on the Part 8 public consultation before the March meeting of Dublin City Council for approval. If it is approved, work on these measures will take place immediately thereafter.

I am sure the Deputy will also be aware that the Government approved the initiation of anex-gratia scheme of humanitarian assistance on the 19 November 2002 to relieve hardship arising from the severe flooding of people's homes. The scheme is being administered by the Irish Red Cross Society and almost 600 applications have been received. Approximately 65% of all applications were from the Dublin area and over 95% of these have been finalised at this stage. Average payments are in the region of €8,000. The last few assessments will be made in the next two weeks.

The Deputy may also be aware that I announced a major review of national flooding policy on the 27 November 2002. The purpose of the review is to assess the extent of the problem countrywide, clarify roles and responsibilities of the various agencies involved and to recommend practical action to deal with flooding. The Insurance Industry Federation, with which I met in December 2002, has been invited to make a submission to the review group and I am hopeful that some useful recommendations, in relation to the insurance problem in areas liable to flooding, will come out of the review. The group is due to produce a report in early autumn.