River Shannon floods crisis – Sinn Féin tables Dáil Bill to establish single management agency

A RIVER SHANNON MANAGEMENT AGENCY – with overall responsibility for development of the Shannon and a strategy to address the threat of floods to homes and businesses – is being called for by Sinn Féin TDs Gerry Adams and Brian Stanley with a Bill in the Dáil next week.

Meanwhile, in the North's Executive Government, Sinn Féin Agriculture Michelle O'Neill is hosting an urgent ministerial meeting in Cookstown to discuss ongoing responses to flooding with ministers from the SDLP and unionist parties.

In Dublin, the Government's announcement of a 'task force' to try and pull together the many agencies involved in the Shannon regions has been dismissed as a talking shop crafted to have the appearance of Fine Gael and Labour doing something ahead of a crucial general election next month.

At Leinster House, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams told reporters:

“I have just left Dundalk where I was visiting homes in Mounthamilton which have been badly affected by floods. Three homes there have been destroyed, two of which have been subject to flooding in recent years as well. As a result, the homeowners can’t get insurance and they have had difficulty accessing compensation. There doesn’t appear to be adequate provision at departmental or local council level to clean and sanitise homes there. This is an unfortunately familiar story in various parts of the state.”

He continued:

“With regards the Government’s plans, we’ve heard next to no detail in relation to their announcement yesterday that a River Shannon task force is to be set up to deal with the consequences of flooding in the Shannon region but it would appear that they are not preparing to give it a legislative footing.

“Sinn Féin has consistently called for a Shannon authority to be set up and we believe it is absolutely necessary that any such agency established to carry out the level of work required in the Shannon region, both now and into the future, be established on a permanent legislative basis and be properly and adequately resourced under the auspices of the Office of Public Works.

He said Sinn Féin has submitted the River Shannon Management Agency Bill (2016) and will introduce it to the Dáil next week.

The agency would be responsible for the assessment and management of flood risk and flood defences along the River Shannon, for co-ordinating the work of key stakeholders in the region, and for preparing a strategic plan for management of the River Shannon.

Gerry Adams added:

“The issue of funding to alleviate the crisis has also not been adequately addressed. The Government announced that an additional €10million was being released to local authorities, yet reports indicate that the total bill may run to over ten times that amount.

“The Government need to make adequate provision now, not later, so there is no additional delay in helping citizens affected to return to their homes and so businesses affected may reopen as quickly as possible.”

On Thursday, Gerry Adams visited County Clare to meet residents and flood relief workers, including (below) where he saw the devastation in Clonlara and listened to people exasperated by repeated floodings and failure of Government action. 

“The emotional impact on residents battling floods is enormous,” the Sinn Féin leader said.