Sherlock to submit Fianna Fáil bill on flooding insurance

A former Fianna Fáil Bill on flooding insurance will be resubmitted ‘line for line’ by Cork East Labour TD Seán Sherlock, in an effort to protect homeowners who live near flood protection measures in towns like Fermoy and Mallow but who still cannot get flood relief.

There is a massive difficulty on the part of businesses and residential and residences to be able to acquire insurance, according to Deputy Sherlock.

“Now Minister McGrath produced a Bill on this in 2016. And the purpose of that bill would be to ensure that people who live work reside or who have businesses in areas where flood relief schemes were implemented, that they would be able to get insurance cover and I understand that that bill died when the last mandate ended. So I make no apologies about saying that I’m now going to put forward that Bill line for line in my own name, and we’ll put it to the test.

“I will put forward that bill now in my name and Labour Party’s name to test the theory that Fianna Fáil would be serious about ensuring that people who live in areas where flood alleviation works have been carried out will be able to get that cover.”

FERMOY FLOODING

Deputy Sherlock also referenced the flooding that took place in Fermoy in 2021, saying that those premises flooded have yet to receive any kind of compensation or any kind of report in respect of what took place there.

“It feeds into the insurance issue. Because when incidents like this occur, where the works, the relief works don’t work completely, and where there’s a breakdown somewhere and where we don’t have sight now of the report in respect of Fermoy, it feeds into the narrative by the insurance companies that they don’t have to cover these towns where works have been carried out. It strengthens their hand.”

Deputy Sherlock said he hoped a member of Fianna Fáil would come forward and propose the bill themselves and if they did so, he would withdraw his bill, in good faith.

“But we will test the government on that and see if they’re really serious about providing flood insurance cover in those areas like Fermoy and Mallow,” he said.