Compensation For Flood Victims Announced

The Department of Social and Family Affairs have revealed plans to compensate many of those who have lost property during the recent deluges in the East of the State.

Applications forms and information about the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme for those households affected by floods was published today on the Department of Social and Family Affairs and the Community Welfare Service websites.

Outlining details of the scheme, Minister for Social & Family Affairs Mary Hanafin today said: "This scheme is intended to provide financial assistance to eligible households who have suffered major flood damage to their homes. It is particularly intended to assist those households who are not in a position to meet costs for essential needs in the period immediately following the flooding."

The scheme covers; Emergency income support payments; Damage to a person’s home and its basic essential contents, such as carpets, flooring, furniture, household appliances and bedding; Structural damage; and costs of medical treatment and supplies.

However losses of commercial or business interests, anything covered by an insurance policy or loss or damage to private rented accommodation or local authority accommodation will not be considered.

Minister Hanafin said that in order to ensure that assistance is targeted at those most in need, applications will be initially assessed and prioritised on the basis of a means test. "The basic principle of the means test will be to determine the household's capacity to meet the costs of restoring their home to a habitable condition. All household income will be considered when determining entitlement to a payment, however account will be taken of outgoings such as rent or mortgage payment, loans and travel to work costs."

The level of payment to individual households will depend on the severity of the damage experienced relative to the household's ability to meet these costs.

Minister Hanafin said that while this scheme is not intended to provide full compensation for all losses and damage, "it will go towards alleviating the hardship which many hundreds of families have had to endure.

"I know that the Community Welfare Service staff throughout the country have been providing huge support to families every day since this flooding occurred. In counties Cork, Clare, Galway and Tipperary some 400 initial Urgent Needs Payments have been made, with a total value of over €125,000."

(DW/BMcC)