I am grateful to you, a Cheann Comhairle, for giving this matter your consideration and for giving me time on the Adjournment. One may wonder why I sought to raise it this evening given that the matter has already been raised in this House on the Adjournment previously and that there has been a full Private Members' debate as recently as last week. I am concerned about this matter. I am particularly concerned about the time lag between the original severe storms on 16 and 17 December and now, heading into the middle of the month of March, with no sign of a report from the Government.
I am also prompted to make my request this evening by a rather strange interview given on radio today by the Minister of State at the Department of Education, Deputy Fahey, when he expressed his concern and called on the Government to take some action in these matters. I would have thought he would have access to the Government, and certainly to the Minister involved in the task force if he wanted to make a contribution to the workings of that task force. I wonder if I am being overly suspicious in thinking that there is a serious problem when the Minister of State is not in a position to get information from his Cabinet colleagues or that he is taking steps to put himself on the right side of the public if the task force do not fulfill their task.
The questions I set out today, and which I would like the Minister for Finance to answer this evening are: How many meetings of this ministerial task force have taken place? He might clarify who is chairing the meetings, if there is a full-time permanent chairman, and if the task force have been as yet, in a position to report to the Government. Perhaps the Minister could also inform us if we, the Members of the House, are going to have access to the report which is being prepared. I would urge that the report be published because it is very important that every Member would have access to the information being compiled by the Cabinet.
In the course of the previous contributions in this House on storm damage and coastal erosion, it was important to distinguish between them. People have made claims for their own localities and obviously reported first hand on the severe flooding throughout the midlands and the severe damage to coastal areas around the whole country. It is important that all Members should have access to the report. In that respect I would urge the Minister to ensure that the report is laid before the House, and certainly that it is put in the Library so Members can have access to it and we can all see the nature of the damage in toto and the scale and size of the problem. Most of us have an idea of how severe the problem is. There have been reports done by local authority engineering staff and I am aware that experts from the Departments of the Marine, Agriculture and Food, the Office of Public Works and other Departments, have visited various locations throughout the country. It is important that we get a clear and concise picture of the scale of the problem this country is facing. I do not believe I am being alarmist when I say we are facing a problem of enormous proportions in relation to the immediate storm damage and the on-going coastal erosion. We have a Coastal Protection Act of 1963 which has become totally ineffective given that the local authorities are not in a position, because of the stringent financial regimes that have been imposed on them over the last number of years, to make a 50 per cent contribution towards works that might be carried out.
The Minister for Finance, who will ultimately have to carry the responsibility, will need to provide aid which this Government will not be in a position to provide out of its own resources. It will be necessary for us, therefore, to seek aid from the European Community and I believe that we should be seeking aid on the basis of long-term projects first, to eliminate the constant wasting of our coastline which has been taking place down through the years; all around the country people can give examples of land literally vanishing by virtue of the ravaging seas which have been pounding on the coastline down through the years.
Another factor which gives rise to great concern is the recently published report in relation to weather forecasts and the fact that over the next number of years we will have to face the type of storms we had this winter. In that respect it is of major importance that in an organised and orderly fashion, we take steps to protect the coastline. Otherwise areas, such as the Maharees Peninsula around County Kerry, will be threatened with being separated from the mainland. If this happens we will be faced either with a community of around 160 people moving into other parts of the Dingle Peninsula at enormous expense or with building a bridge if that is possible. I am sure there are many such examples in all the other counties.
I ask the Minister to give some indication, from the information he has, of the scale of the problem and what type of programmes the Government will be introducing to give some comfort to those who are living in fear of this happening again if not during the remainder of this winter then next winter, without any adequate protection being put in place. Most people who live in coastal areas accept a certain amount of risk, a certain amount of hazard, from rising tides and rough seas, but it is extremely important that we give them some comfort in relation to works which are within the competence of the Government to set in train, and this has to be done as quickly as possible.
The storm damage in other areas perhaps can be treated on a once off basis, but I would be far more concerned with the long-term prospects for the coastline, for valuable beaches, farmlands and fishing facilities. That is why I sought the opportunity to raise this matter, a Cheann Comhairle, and I am grateful for your consideration and for the Minister's presence to give us some information on this very important situation.
