Tuesday, February 9, 2010 Previous editions
Friday, November 27, 2009
THE Taoiseach was confronted by angry flood victims yesterday, but would not be drawn on extra relief funds.
A number of Athlone residents accused Brian Cowen of failing to spend adequate time surveying the devastation.
They accused him of only being interested in a "publicity stunt" as Mr Cowen rushed back to Dublin after spending the morning touring some of the worst affected areas in the mid-west.
The Taoiseach was touring Offaly, Westmeath and east Galway as farmers whose lands are flooded also called on Mr Cowen to put a proper maintenance programme in place.
Mr Cowen again refused to say if or when the €10m humanitarian relief fund would be increased after opposition parties dismissed the sum as totally inadequate to deal with the scale of the crisis and its aftermath.
Mr Cowen insisted that "flexibility" was the byword for the response of Government.
"We want to assist people. There are immediate problems of clothing, of bedding, of shelter, providing accommodation. All of that is being done.
"You have to establish that priority in the first instance. When we get to a clean-up phase we will then be able to assess the damage.
"Humanitarian aid that we have provided funding for initially of €10m, that will continue to be looked at to meet demands and requirements," he added.
Fine Gael deputy Ulick Burke called on Tánaiste Mary Coughlan to put pressure on insurance companies he said were not making interim payments.
"It has been brought to my attention that an insurance company has broken with traditional established practices and has refused to make interim payments.
"This is a particularly serious matter. When interim and agreed payments were being made, emergency works could be carried out to the many private residences, businesses and farm buildings throughout the country. However, this company has broken the precedent and will not make any payment until all matters have been finalised.
"I ask the Tánaiste to speak to those insurance companies and ask them to continue to follow the established practices whereby adjustments could be agreed later in order that vital emergency works can be carried out," he told the Dáil. Ms Coughlan would not be drawn on the matter.
Meanwhile, Environment Minister John Gormley said it was unclear if bad planning decisions had made the floods worse.
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