County Laois has been hit very badly by flooding over the past number of days, and 1,000 people have been affected in the Mountmellick area. Does the Government have any proposal to give extra funding to the council in Laois to deal with the crisis?

I can confirm that the Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Kevin Boxer Moran, will visit the area – in fact, he may already be there. He has been actively working with the relevant local authorities and I have no doubt that, as we have responded very quickly in recent times when there has been flooding, there will be a speedy response. It is a dreadful situation for families to find themselves in. The Minister of State is working very actively to ensure that there will be an appropriate response.