Bantry flood relief works
Deputy Collins pressed for a start date for flood relief works in Bantry after further flooding caused damage and frustration locally. The Tánaiste could not give a date, but said he would ask the Minister of State to contact the Deputy and noted a business rebuilding scheme.
Last Tuesday, much of the country was hit by high winds and rain. For decades now, the very hint of high winds and rain strikes terror into the people of Bantry and now Castletownbere as what happened on Tuesday has been happening for years, with businesses and residences ending up flooded. The mop-up operation on Tuesday in Bantry has once again angered business people as they are worn out and sick to the teeth from listening to promises of progress on flood relief works. Will the Tánaiste give us today an exact date for the flood relief works to start in Bantry? Will he and the Government agree a proper compensation package for the people of Bantry, which is continually destroyed by floods?
Comment on this
I cannot give the Deputy a date, unfortunately, but I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, to contact him about that. I was in Bantry the summer before last, just after the floods, and saw some of the businesses that had been damaged at that time. My Department has a scheme that can help businesses that are not insurable or that cannot get insurance with the cost of rebuilding. I am not sure if that is the case for any of the businesses in Bantry at the moment, but that scheme is available if they need that help.