In the same spirit, Sinn Féin supports the call for an independent inquiry into the tragic deaths of infants in Portlaoise and the treatment of their parents.

My question is about the plight of other citizens - those living in flooded areas. I commend the members of communities who rallied to the aid of their neighbours. They include those who provided food and clothing, as well as distributing sandbags and looking after elderly citizens, all before officialdom was mobilised. It demonstrates the very best qualities of Irish people. I also commend the front-line services. In many parts of the country flooding incidents are nothing new. Parts of Cork city and county, as well as Waterford, Limerick and Dublin, frequently experience significant flooding. With climate change, rising sea levels and increased rainfall, the position is expected to get worse in the years ahead. It is now five years since Cork city experienced some of the worst flooding ever seen on the island when thousands of homes and businesses were damaged, yet the city still does not have adequate flood defences. The position is the same in Limerick where mostly working-class people have been totally devastated by the destruction of their homes and belongings. Most of the people concerned are not able to get insurance because the insurance companies will not cover them. What is required immediately is financial aid for those worst hit by the latest crisis. Will the Taoiseach give a commitment that the Government will provide adequate assistance for the householders affected by the floods who have no insurance? Will he tell the House what level of financial assistance will be provided by the State for the many households which have been left devastated by the floods? When will such assistance be made available?

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. On 1 February exceptionally high tides and storms, as well as exceptional rainfall in recent weeks, caused damage and disruption in the western, southern and south-eastern regions. This is not the first time we have had flooding in various parts of the country, including along the River Shannon, Blackwater and other regions. However, it was unprecedented in its scale and power of destruction. I agree with the Deputy on the response by communities, from neighbours and the emergency services which worked day and night to rescue people and ease their discomfort. Some 300 homes were flooded in the St. Mary's Park and King's Island areas of Limerick which were visited yesterday by the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, and the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes. Between 1,200 and 2,000 people were affected by the flooding in Limerick, with 60 residents being evacuated from their homes. There was also flooding in Cork, Waterford and Wexford. Quite a number of coastal areas were hit, with resulting damage to roads, graveyards and piers, while sea walls were breached. In addition, parts of Drogheda have been flooded. The problem is continuing and the weather forecast for this evening and tomorrow is not great in some areas. We must consider whether this is a consequence of climate change.

There are issues of immediate and interim concern, including what one should do in the long-term in providing structural defences, where necessary. Yesterday I visited Spanish Arch in Galway, a low-lying mediaeval part of the city. The power of the water coming out of Lough Corrib was indescribable in its ferocity. It has been pumping in for the past few months. Even if one had 5 or 6 ft high walls down to the open sea, when there is a tide that is 20 ft higher than normal, it inevitably backs up. Consequently, the drainage into the river backs up onto the streets, with enormous consequences.

The Government considered the matter this morning. The Minister for Social Protection and her colleagues have put together a humanitarian fund of €15 million, pending an assessment, to deal with the immediate causes of hardship, discomfort and relocation. Committees of local authorities have already been calling to those affected to assess the structural damage and humanitarian circumstances that apply. That work is being done in conjunction with local community organisations such as the Society of St. Vincent De Paul, community councils and residents' associations. The results are reported to the Department of Social Protection which has already made payments in a number of areas for the provision of immediate relief, including food and clothing. When houses begin to dry out, white goods and basic furniture can be provided. The Ballynanty Centre in Limerick will remain open until late, with information being provided on local radio in order that people can contact necessary services. As the Deputy knows, it is not possible to put basic items into houses that are still flooded or have not yet been dried out. As the days go by, the high tides may well abate, but these matters are unpredictable. In Galway the surge, with the westerly winds, increased the high tide by almost 2 m on top of an abnormally high tide.

The structures are now in place and next Thursday we will have a special meeting on jobs. An update will be provided by the Department's emergency response section. Next Tuesday the Minister, Deputy Phil Hogan, the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, and other Ministers will have more accurate assessments from all local authorities of the scale of the problem and the requirements identified. There are, however, immediate humanitarian problems concerning those who have had to relocate to alternative accommodation, including the homes of relatives. There is also the question of structural damage throughout the country. The Government is taking a very active approach in this regard.

Two issues arise. My first question was about those people who had not been able to get insurance, but the Taoiseach has totally avoided that issue. I am advised that some people thought they were insured for flood damage, but they discovered that they were not. Others cannot obtain insurance. The same happened in Dublin a year or two ago and I ask the Taoiseach to focus on that question. It is not the people's fault that their homes have been devastated. How will they replace their possessions, including furniture, television sets, carpets, beds, bedding and linen?

My second question was about the State's response. The Government does not appear to be capable of engaging in strategic planning. During the fodder crisis last year Sinn Féin argued that the Government needed to put in place contingency plans to deal with the consequences of severe weather. However, it does not appear to have been done on this occasion. The Office of Public Works has already undertaken a risk assessment of coastal erosion. The onus appears to be on local authorities to sort out this problem. The Taoiseach mentioned the sum of €15 million. Pardon the pun, but €15 million is a drop in the ocean. As the Government has taken €320 million from the local government fund, how can local authorities deal with a crisis of these dimensions? It is always the same old story - there is lots of money for consultants.

Irony of ironies, these are consultants in Uisce Éireann. There is money for bankers and politicians but none for citizens in need. My initial question was about the folks who, through no fault of their own, are not insured. Will they be assisted by the Government? What about strategic planning? How can we take the Taoiseach seriously if he has not put in place any of the contingencies when we already know there will be more severe weather in the time ahead?

Perhaps Deputy Adams misunderstands what I was saying. The initial response of the Government was to consider the matter in respect of the humanitarian issues that arise now. The Government has put in place a fund of €15 million, pending assessment, to deal with the humanitarian issues immediately. That is why the emergency response unit at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, together with local authorities and their committees working with agencies, community organisations, residents associations and the St. Vincent de Paul, are collating information about structural damage and the human circumstances that apply in cases of flooding. We know where they are and I have outlined some of them here. That is a €15 million fund for humanitarian-only issues, pending assessment.

On the issue of structural damage and the capital resources needed, some €250 million has been spent on capital works. I remember Clonmel, which Deputy Healy is aware of, Fermoy and Kilkenny where it has taken a long time to put defences in place. I walked Bertra Beach a number of weeks ago and what took 10,000 years to put in place was gone in 12 hours because of the open Atlantic Ocean. The same applies to Glenbeigh in County Kerry or other places where damage has been inflicted through the movement of cliffs and cliff faces. It is a more long-term operation. How do we provide the longer-term defences in Clontarf, Limerick, Galway or Cork, which have been flooded on a number of occasions?

Yesterday, I met people whose businesses had been flooded three times in three years. There is no insurance after the first claim is made, which is an issue of great concern to people in business. One woman said to me she would be closed until the end of April to repair the flood of yesterday morning. It will cost €250,000 to repair the damage to a medieval building that soaks up water like a sponge. The Government is very serious about this. The €15 million is for humanitarian issues now and structures exist to deal with that. We will have an update on Thursday and a full report on the scale and impact across the country from the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, and the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, next Tuesday. The Government will respond in the best way it can.

We will make an application, if appropriate, to Europe. This morning I heard a spokeswoman saying we could collate damages across the country into a single application. We will consider that based on the extent of what is needed.