I now want to deal with Private Notice Questions to the Minister for Finance regarding recent incidents of flooding in various parts of the country. I will call on the Deputies who tabled questions to the Minister in the order in which they submitted their questions to the Ceann Comhairle's office.
Private Notice Questions.
Flood Relief.
I wish to ask the Minister for Finance to outline the steps the Government proposes to take to provide assistance for householders and traders in Cork who have suffered significant loss and damage to property arising from the serious flooding of the past 24 hours and the action he intends to take to address the ongoing cause of regular flooding in the area.
I wish to ask the Minister for Finance the action he is taking in response to the ongoing threat of flooding in Dublin and other areas on the east and south coast; the steps he is taking to speed up the completion of anti-flood measures on the Tolka river and at Spencer Dock in Dublin's north city; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I wish to ask the Minister for Finance if funding will be made available to Dublin City Council to deal with flooding prevention measures in Clontarf, Fairview and Drumcondra.
I wish to ask the Minister for Finance the steps being taken to help business persons and householders who have suffered serious losses due to flooding in the Cork area.
I wish to ask the Minister for Finance if he is satisfied with the measures taken to avoid flooding following the latest incidents in Dublin and along the south and east coast yesterday; and the steps, if any, to compensate those who have been adversely affected.
I propose to take the questions together. First, I express my sympathy and that of the Government to everyone affected by the flooding incidents which occurred yesterday and today. It has been a very traumatic time for all those directly affected.
The House will be aware from weather predictions in the past day or so that the flooding we have experienced has been due to a combination of natural events, heavy rainfall in recent weeks leading to wet ground conditions, intense rainfall in the past 24 to 36 hours, low atmospheric pressure combined with spring tides and storm force winds. The extent of the flooding around the country is not yet totally clear. I have, to date, received reports of several severely affected areas, including Cork city, Waterford, Arklow, Mallow and Wexford. There are many other areas where localised flooding occurred on a smaller scale but, of course, that is not less traumatic for the people directly affected.
I commend the hard work undertaken in the past 24 hours by local authority staff, the Garda Síochána, Civil Defence groups, fire brigades and all other staff and volunteers involved. In an emergency situation such as this, the initial responsibility for assisting the public and protecting infrastructure falls to these groups operating at local level. They have done a very good job.
As the immediate pressure of emergency response eases in the next day or so, my staff in the Office of Public Works, OPW, will be in contact with local authorities and the Department of the Environment, Heritage, and Local Government to get a fully detailed picture of the flood events, locations, and numbers of people and properties affected. When this information is to hand, a judgment can be made on the question of the provision of humanitarian aid. The criteria used in assessing eligibility for aid are generally homelessness, damage to homes, serious injury, or loss of income. The House should be aware that the policy in implementing humanitarian aid schemes is to provide humanitarian assistance to relieve hardship arising out of damage to people's homes. It has not been the practice to include assistance to businesses in these schemes.
As part of the greater Dublin strategic drainage study being undertaken by Dublin City Council, the OPW agreed in April 2002 to fund a study on flooding of the River Tolka. Following the severe flooding from the river in Dublin and Meath in November 2002, the OPW was asked by the three local authorities concerned, Dublin City, Meath County and Fingal County Councils, to assist in the implementation of a series of flood alleviation measures. Following discussions with each local authority, the OPW agreed to fund and undertake a range of works which were first recommended in interim reports completed by the councils' consultants and which were also contained in the final report of the River Tolka flooding study. Dublin City Council, under the powers of which the works were to be carried out, exhibited a schedule of works for the city area in 2003 and again in 2004, as required under part 8 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001.
The works undertaken by the OPW cover an area from Glasnevin Bridge to Luke Kelly Bridge in Ballybough. The works are almost complete and include the construction of walls and embankments, the replacement of Woodville Road footbridge, the lowering of Distillery Weir, the widening of the southern bank opposite Tolka Park, and general maintenance of the channel along this stretch. The OPW has expended approximately €1.7 million so far on works in the city area and approximately €3.5 million on the whole Tolka catchment. There are further works, which include the replacement of Distillery Road Bridge and the widening of some parts of the river around the bridge, which are the subject of negotiations between the council and property owners and developers as part of a proposed development in that area. The report contains no recommendations for downstream of Luke Kelly Bridge.
With the support of the OPW, Dublin City Council, on behalf of the combined Dublin local authorities, has also commissioned a study of flood risk in coastal areas, entitled the Dublin coastal zone risk assessment. This study is expected to be finalised in the next month and will provide a long-term strategy for addressing the flood risk in the study area. Deputy Gregory has also raised the issue of anti-flood measures at Spencer Dock and I understand Dublin City Council will be commencing works there in the next few weeks. The work which has been carried out in the greater Dublin area and in County Meath in the past two years by the OPW, in partnership with the local authorities, has been successful. The evidence is there for all to see in the last 24 hours. I hope I am not tempting fate with this assertion.
With regard to flood relief works in other locations, I confirm that a scheme in Kilkenny city is nearing completion and a scheme to protect Carrick-on-Suir was completed last year. Schemes are at various stages of planning and design in other cities and towns, including Clonmel, Carlow, Waterford, Enniscorthy, Mallow, Fermoy, and Ennis. The House will note that neither Cork city nor Wexford are included in the current OPW flood relief programme. My officials will be in touch with the relevant local authorities in the next few days to assess the position in both these locations. As tidal influences are significant in both cases, the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources will also be consulted.
The Government is committed to a strategic flood management policy. In that context, I remind the House that the Government last month approved the recommendations of the flood policy review group. This confirms the lead role of the OPW in taking a strategic approach to flood management in the future and working in co-operation with the relevant local authorities. The programme of flood relief schemes in hand will be implemented as resources permit in the context of an integrated, long term strategy on flood management. This strategy calls for considerable emphasis on non-structural flood management measures, for example, flood warning systems, flood mapping, guidelines on development and formulation of catchment flood risk management plans to foster a catchment-based approach to flood management. Account will be taken of the need to prioritise expenditure in the areas of greatest need and to be mindful of the implications of climate change. I am glad to be able to report to the House that the OPW has already commenced work on the development of flood warning systems and flood mapping as the first steps in this new approach.
I am satisfied that a coherent, sustainable, long-term strategy on flood management is in place, consistent with the recommendations of the flood policy review group and combining structural and non-structural measures.
The Minister of State's answer would have been suitable if it had been given last week. He speaks of a good flood management programme which is taking its course and doing fine. However, Cork city was under 5 ft. of water last night. I do not begrudge the aid that has been given to those people affected by the flooding of the Tolka river. We are used to this type of thing in Cork and those people have our every sympathy. However, the response to that flood bears no relationship to the response to what has been an ongoing problem in Cork city.
Cork City Council has sought funding for the past 20 years to improve the quay wall. There has been a sign on one section of this wall for the last eight years warning motorists not to park too near it in case it falls in the river, taking any nearby parked vehicles with it. In spite of this, The Minister of State has informed us that the schemes are in place and his Department will be in touch with the relevant authorities in Cork city in the next few days. The Minister of State has missed the boat. This is not the first time we have suffered flooding in Cork city, but the difference is that there was 5 ft. of flooding last night and part of my motion is in respect of compensation for householders and traders. One unfortunate family was taken out of its bungalow after it flooded to a height of 8 ft.
It is too late to say to such people that the issue will be considered. The funding has been sought for 20 years and we know what needs to be done. There are certain areas of the city that need non-return valves with regard to the sewers. The quay wall must be raised in some areas and there are areas where the wall must be replaced. Other solutions may be proposed, such as a type of Thames barrier solution, but this is surely long-term. The immediate concern is a short-term solution which, in this instance, constitutes a period of 20 years. Will the Minister of State make urgent efforts early tomorrow to talk to the people in Cork to find out what needs to happen in the short term and ascertain the funding necessary for a long-term solution?
I have had direct contact with residents and traders in Cork. I understood that 4 ft. of flooding was the worst sustained, which is frightening in itself. That there has been 5 ft. of flooding, and 8 ft. in the case of the bungalow the Deputy referred to, indicates the severity of the situation. Flooding is a natural phenomenon and I have been told by traders in Cork that this was the worst flooding in 42 years. The schemes designed and operated by the OPW cater for a one in 100 flood. People tend to forget the severity of previous floods and many people in Cork will not remember the situation 42 years ago.
I went through a number of the schemes which are in various stages of formulation, planning and design. The scheme for Kilkenny city has just been completed and the scheme for Carrick-on-Suir was finished last year, for example. Cork City Council has not approached the OPW so I assume it has contacted either the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government or the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. The OPW would like to undertake all the schemes at the same time but we must prioritise. The Kilkenny scheme is superb but its cost, at more than €40 million, was an issue of considerable debate. There was much criticism of the manner of expenditure on this scheme when it was considered by the Committee of Public Accounts. I do not mean to be insensitive but a flood is a major crisis for people and everybody demands that action be taken. When we make the plans next summer, people will not be the least concerned. All their concerns then will relate to archaeology, tourism, environment, disruption to businesses, environmental impact statements etc., matters that lead to enormous expense.
The situation in Cork is clearly extreme. As a result of the recommendations of the flood review group, we will be in direct contact with the Departments with responsibility for the environment and the marine with a view to seeing what can be done. Flooding is a natural phenomenon. No State agency is directed to counter such phenomena, but we can put schemes in place that will minimise the damage to individuals. The OPW response, on behalf of the Government, has been humanitarian aid and this has been warmly received. In 2002, we spent €13.5 million on humanitarian aid. I assume that when the report comes through from Cork, we will consider it sympathetically. I, and Mr. Jim Bligh who is here with me from the OPW, undertake to make contact with the relevant Departments, although I am sure they will contact us urgently with regard to the difficulties in Cork.
Does the Minister of State accept I have been raising this issue with him since he was appointed and that the work he promised in Dublin in his first weeks in office has still not been completed? Does he accept that but for the fact that Dublin did not get the same level of prolonged heavy rainfall as did Cork and the south of the country last night, there would have been serious flooding yet again in the Clonliffe and East Wall areas of Dublin's north city because flood relief works have not yet been completed on the Tolka river or at Spencer Dock in the Royal Canal basin, despite the disastrous flooding of both locations in recent years? Last night, a bridge on Distillery Road, to which the Minister of State referred in his reply, had to be heavily fortified with sand bags by the city council to prevent the Clonliffe area being flooded, not from heavy rain but as a result of a high tide and strong winds.
I have two specific questions for the Minister of State, questions I raised previously on a number of occasions. When will the Distillery Road bridge be replaced as previously promised? The negotiations with the developer have been ongoing for two years and the Minister of State has been telling me about them for that time. What is the problem?
Second, I am concerned about the Minister of State's reply with regard to Spencer Dock. This is not the first time I have heard the city council is to move in "within weeks" to start work. I understand that this may mean they will move in within weeks to start "temporary" work at Spencer Dock. The critical issue at the dock is that the sea lock needs to be restored and a new canal lock constructed. Neither of these projects is near being started as far as I can establish. Is there a timescale for this work? If that critical work is not carried out at Spencer Dock, the whole East Wall area and community will be left under threat from flooding, particularly at this time of the year.
I note the Deputy did not acknowledge the tremendous work that has been done in the area.
I did not have the time, but I certainly acknowledge it. Great work has been done.
In terms of the different responsibilities, I understand the responsibility for the temporary stop-gap with sand bags at Distillery Road bridge rests with Dublin City Council. It has taken on board——
Do not pass the buck. I raised the issue previously.
That is the fact of the matter. Likewise——
The Minister of State should get on to Dublin City Council and persuade it to get its act together.
If the Deputy will allow me finish, we have been on to the council. In regard to Spencer Dock, the city engineer confirmed to us this morning that work on it will begin in the next couple of weeks.
I would like the Minister of State to clarify what work will start within weeks. Is it the permanent work?
I will clarify that for the Deputy later.
As time is running out, I will call on the remaining Deputies and then on the Minister of State to make his reply.
I have two brief questions. Will the Minister of State ask the local authority, in this case Dublin City Council, whether it will commence a study or examination of the Clontarf area, particularly the Clontarf Road area, as it has a recurring problem of flooding? There was a major problem there last night.
With regard to the Tolka river issue, will the Minister of State convey my concern to Dublin City Council and urge it to provide enough finance to resource the flood prevention measures on Richmond Road, Clontarf Park and Gracepark Road as these were directly affected previously and have a long history of flooding? I urge the Minister of State to make representations or some statement on the issue of the insurance companies and ask him to persuade them to reinstate flood and storm cover as many residents who live near the Tolka have been complaining about this issue for the past six months.
I put it to the Minister of State that last night's events in Cork city have put a question mark over the viability of many businesses in the city and that if measures are not taken to alleviate flooding, many businesses will move from the city to the suburbs. Will he correct the impression he has given that Cork City Council has been negligent in not applying to his Department for flood relief measures? I raised this question for reply from the Taoiseach or the relevant Minister, but the Minister of State, Deputy Parlon, happens to be taking the question today.
The approach to dealing with this issue by the different Departments responsible is disjointed. Will the Minister of State send officials immediately to Cork city to discuss the questions raised by Deputy Lynch, the quay walls that have been left in a dangerous condition and the non-return valves and sewers? Will they discuss the situation regarding a tidal barrier which would demand huge resources but would provide a solution to the problem?
These are engineering problems and I am not qualified to discuss them. However, huge investment is required in the area to deal with what is not a once-in-40-years event but an event that occurs almost every year in Cork city centre. What happened last night is not new, but we expect action to eliminate or reduce the threat to Cork in the future. As a result of the threat from climate change, the problems will get worse, not better, unless the relevant Departments intervene.
Will the Minister of State eliminate the disjointed approach by different Departments to the issue and clarify the situation? He appears to be putting the onus on Cork City Council by saying it has failed to request funds from Government on a number of fronts. If he checks with the Departments he will discover requests have been made for assistance over many years.
My colleague, Deputy Boyle, regrets he cannot be here today as he is in Cork helping his beleaguered constituents. Why did the Minister of State mention only the Tolka river? No mention was made of the Dodder river. My constituents in Ringsend, Sandymount and Irishtown are, perhaps, the most vulnerable to flooding. Why was it necessary for me to go at 12 o'clock last night to see the situation on the ground? Deputy Gregory is right, if there had been more rain, there would have been serious flooding along the coast. There were sand bags in place in Sandymount.
Why was it that when the protective wall was built in Irishtown, along the front of Stella Gardens, it only went as far as Londonbridge Road? This makes no sense because the water will not stop there but will flow down into Stella Gardens. We cannot just have symbols, some thought must be put into the situation. Protective measures for the Dublin coastal zone were mentioned. How much will these cost and when will they be provided? The Minister of State must accept that the frequency of floods will increase significantly as a result of climate change, higher precipitation and the associated problems of climate change such as rising sea levels. These combined problems will have serious consequences for my constituents. What plans has the Minister of State and when will they be implemented?
Is the Minister of State aware that there was serious flooding in Arklow, County Wicklow last night? Once again, the south quay area was flooded and homes were affected. Will the Minister meet the new Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, who has been very supportive in putting in place the flood protection scheme, which cost €3.5 million? Will the Minister of State meet Deputy Roche to progress this proposal to ensure that the people of Arklow are protected in the future?
The Clontarf area was included in the coastal zone study. While that study is not complete, works there will be a priority. I had contact with some of Deputy McGrath's constituents this morning who told me about their basements being flooded. I am keeping abreast of the Clontarf situation.
There were two years when insurance companies made substantial pay outs. When I became Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works there was ambiguity regarding the responsibility of different Departments and there was an element of ball passing. I undertook a flood review policy and invited all the stakeholders to take part, including the Departments of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Agriculture and Food and Finance and the OPW.
We received more than 70 submissions, including one from the Irish Insurance Federation. The insurance industry bleated about its major pay out over two years. However, if there was never a threat of a flood no one would take out flood insurance. I do not have great sympathy for the industry. The work that has been done, particularly in the Tolka area, has substantially diminished the risk of flooding in those areas. If individuals are being victimised I would like to hear about it because that is unfair. We have recently seen the very substantial profits made by the insurance industry and I see no justification for victimisation of individual householders.
Deputy Allen referred to the disjointed approach of Government. We undertook the flood policy review to achieve joined up Government. The review has recommended that the OPW should be the lead agency. The report is hot off the presses. I dealt with it on RTE this morning because emergency issues have become a bigger issue than the long-term view.
That will not be much good to Cork where no review is taking place.
Cork City Council did not approach the OPW. Perhaps it approached the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources.
Perhaps is not good enough. The fact that the Minister of State does not know shows the Government's disjointed approach.
Does Deputy Allen know who the council applied to?
Deputy Parlon is the Minister of State. He should know.
The council did not apply to my Department.
The Minister of State should know whether the council applied to other Departments. He would know that, if there is a co-ordinated approach. It is easy to make those allegations.
I am not making allegations. I am stating fact. Cork City Council did not approach the OPW with regard to a flood relief scheme.
What about quay walls?
Clearly, the council has been dealing with the Departments of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. Tidal influences are a major factor in Cork and that is still a major element for the Department for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. Now that the review has recommended that the OPW would take the lead role and the Government cleared that in the past month, my Department will take the matter on board.
The Minister of State did not check with the other Departments.
I have sufficient responsibility in my own Department.
My question was not to the Minister of State but to the Government and to the Taoiseach. I did not want a compartmentalised response.
I have given an undertaking to take the matter up with both Departments. I hope that is sufficient for Deputy Allen for the moment.
Yes, if the Minister of State comes back again to let us know what action he will take.
I hope Deputy Boyle is safe in Cork. I am sure he will appreciate that as soon as Deputy Gormley got to his feet he lost no time in moving on to the question of the Dodder and did not further refer to Cork.
We must get our priorities right.
I answered solely on the question of the Tolka because the questions were asked directly about the Tolka. I admire Deputy Gormley's opportunism in raising the matter of the Dodder.
Northsiders come first.
It was not opportunism.
A substantial contribution of more than €800,000 was made by the OPW to Dublin City Council to construct the wall in Ringsend. After that, the council had responsibility for the project, and it has been very effective.
They stopped it.
Dublin City Council stopped the project. Perhaps the money ran out. The overall scheme has been successful. I spent some time there and it looks very well.
I was in touch with some Arklow people this morning and I met a delegation from Arklow in the past 15 months. The OPW funded a consultative report with Arklow Town Council. The report has been completed and must now make its way towards implementation. It must fit into the prioritisation. We have given an undertaking to prioritise our spending. Currently, the OPW spends approximately €20 million per year on flood relief measures. The report says the Government needs to spend approximately €400 million in the next 15 years.
What about Sandymount?
Will the Minister of State meet the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources?
By coincidence, I will meet the Minister tomorrow at 2 o'clock in Wicklow town. I have no doubt he will raise this matter.
The Minister of State should make a statement on the matter.
What will the Minister do about Sandymount?
Written answers follow Adjournment Debate.