Madam, – I feel the country needs to pull together to help those affected by the flooding.These people need more than humanitarian aid, they need serious and substantial help to refurnish and refurbish their homes and businesses. €10 million is only a drop in the ocean and will only make a ripple on the surface of their need.
I would recommend that in the forthcoming budget, Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan increase income tax by a small amount – say one quarter or half a percentage point and add it to a disaster fund. This would involve all the people of the country reaching out to those so severely affected by this disaster.
We have helped people in the Third World, now we need to help our own people just as much – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL MURRAY,
Killotteran,
Waterford.
Madam, – The Green Party has for many years predicted that extra flooding would be a consequence of climate change, so it would appear strange to me that, in Government, they have not put in place the measures that would have helped reduce the extent of the current damage being caused across the country.
Moreover, a debate occurred in the Dáil in November 2004 in which Trevor Sargent TD and Eamon Ryan TD challenged the then taoiseach, Bertie Ahern TD, regarding the then Fianna Fáil-led government’s lax attitude to flooding prevention and anticipation. Of particular note was that when Mr Ahern was challenged on the fact that building on flood plains such as in Clonmel, Lucan and Dunboyne was extremely ill-advised, part of his reply was: “Regarding building on plains, since the population has risen by one million since 1973 that extra million people must live somewhere”.
As far as I am concerned, one of the greatest legacy scandals of the boom years was what I perceived to be the relative ill-treatment of young people with regards to the provision of housing. As is now readily acknowledged, those starting out in their professional careers were blatantly overcharged for the simple need of a roof over their heads.
Now it is clear that the government of that time knew that there was a timebomb associated with many of the new developments that were specifically targeted at commuters. Mr Sargent also stated then the need for quay walls in Cork to prevent flooding damage that he felt was inevitable.
Therefore, I find that one of the saddest parts of the misery being heaped upon thousands of people across Ireland is that this national lack of preparedness for future flooding was criticised five years ago by a party whose leader has been the responsible Minister for its prevention for over two years. – Yours, etc,
JOHN KENNEDY,
Knocknashee,
Goatstown,
Dublin 14.
Madam, – Might I suggest that we stop referring to “planning permission” and call it what it really is: “building permission”. – Yours, etc,
NÓIRÍN HAYES,
St Helen’s Road,
Booterstown,
Co Dublin.