I share the concern of other Members about the flood damage in many parts of the country, including my own county. However, we should not get over-dramatic about it. We are aware of the failings of past Administrations, but we do not want to go down that road. I very much welcome the fund that has been set aside and that will be administered on behalf of the Government by the Irish Red Cross for businesses that have suffered in towns recognised to be at flood risk and which are unable to get flood risk insurance, which is very important.

It was said the OPW was not involved. Of course, it is involved; it is monitoring the situation and will continue to do so. The matter is being attended to and dealt with. I recognise that Senator Marc MacSharry likes to be dramatic, coming as he does from the Sligo school of amateur dramatics. Let us be calm and reflect on this matter. It is being dealt with and, please God, it will be dealt with satisfactorily, or as satisfactorily as it can be dealt with. We cannot totally drain the River Shannon and cannot redirect it. There will be a further debate about siphoning off some of the water for the east, an issue which will be resurrected again. As these matters are being dealt with, let the show go on without getting overly or falsely concerned.

It is time we had a debate on flooding and the measures to compensate those affected by the winter storms. We have all seen the footage of the floods, ruined homes and businesses and the Christmas plans that have been destroyed. There have been four Atlantic storms this year. However, there are two things that are predictable - severe weather and the pathetic response from the Government. Each time it happens, we get too little, by way of a response, and it is too late. It seems to have come as a revelation to the Minister, Deputy Simon Coveney, that legislation prevents flood relief compensation to businesses and that only households may benefit. This is a Government that prides itself on getting the economy going again and getting people back working. How can it be jobs-friendly if businesses are allowed to suffer in this way?

When this crisis happened last year, with others, I called on the Government and the then Minister, Mr. Phil Hogan, to take concrete steps to mitigate the harmful effects of future storms. The Government should have applied to the EU solidarity fund, but it did not. It should have aided small businesses with a Government-subsidised insurance scheme where people are not able to get private sector cover, but it did not bother to do that either. It has chosen to do nothing for small businesses impacted on by flooding. It is too little, too late to be talking about frustration on the eve of a general election. People are rightly frustrated at the lack of emergency funding for individual home owners and the lack of financial cover for businesses. Any further delay is inexcusable. Like others, I have been driving in east Galway where the flooding has been extremely difficult and frustrating for people. It is time the Government realised it is in government and did something about this matter.

Many of us grew up enjoying the romanticised versions of private investigators' lives - I think of "Magnum PI" and others. When we look at the reality of what private investigators get up to, however, it can be more sordid and grubby. Senator Gerard P. Craughwell's amendment which I second calls on the Minister for Justice and Equality to come to the House to tell us what she knows and what she is going to do in about the necessary investigation not just of the activities of private investigators but also of officials in the Department of Social Protection. This is an important issue. It is yet another example, perhaps, of the creep that goes on where banks and officials of State collude to subtract from people's rights, in particular, the right to privacy and the privacy of their data. I second Senator Gerard P. Craughwell's amendment.

Given that business is scheduled to continue until 10 p.m., the Leader is unlikely to be able to accede to a request that the Minister of State, Deputy Simon Harris, come to the House to discuss the flooding issue. I made a request yesterday that we try to organise it late this week or early next week. Obviously, communities are going through great hardship, with people throughout the country trying to get to work when roads are closed. We need to give this very serious attention.

I reject some of the criticism being made of the Government. Investment has taken place in flood alleviation measures in recent years. I cite Ballinasloe as a case in point, given the significant investment made there since 2009 which has worked to a significant extent.

Exactly. The work has been done.

Phase one of that project has been very successful, but we want to get to the next phase of the investment. We need an update on the CFRAM study which will be the blueprint for flood alleviation measures and investment into the future. I would like a detailed debate on the progress of that study and what funding is likely to be put behind it. We cannot praise enough the local authority staff who are working flat out and the wonderful work being done by the Army in helping to protect homes. The next 36 hours are going to be critical, but I know everything that can be done is being done to make sure as many homes as possible are protected from flooding. It is a time for everybody to pull together and to leave aside party-political squabbling on this issue. I am very encouraged by the wonderful work being done in communities by people coming together with public representatives and local authority staff, with everybody trying to ensure business gets back to as normal a position as possible in the lead-up to Christmas. I hope we will have a debate with the Minister of State who can update us. I very much welcome the fact €5 million has been made immediately available to help small business and that €10 million has been set aside to provide humanitarian aid. I hope the drawing down of this aid will be as simple as possible and that bureaucracy will be kept to a minimum.

We are not having the debate today.

It would be useful if the Minister of State, Deputy Simon Harris, were to come into the House to answer those questions.