Minister for the Environment John Gormley has asked all local authorities to prepare reports on the recent flooding throughout the State in order to assess the emergency response and inform future Government policy, he said today.
He said he had asked all local authorities to submit reports, which would also be given to the Office of Public Works. "Only then will we be able to make an assessment and bring proposals to Cabinet," he said.
Mr Gormley said that overall, he believed the emergency services had done an "outstanding job" in responding to the floods.
Mr Gormley said guidelines would be put in place to ensure no building would take place on areas known to be prone to flooding.
But he said he was not going to apportion blame for bad planning policy in the past.
He told RTÉ's News at Onethat development would take place in the context of the National Spatial Strategy, regional planning guidelines and, in future, flooding guidelines.
"I don't think future generations would thank us, quite frankly, if we continue to plan as badly as we did in the past."
Mr Gormley insisted that funding would be available to those affected by the flooding, including in Carlow town, which he visited yesterday.
He said funding was available through the local community officers of the HSE, for those who were not insured.
The Minister said everything possible was being done, but that there was a "major issue" in relation to climate change.
"I think people need to understand that climate change is something that is happening now and not something that is going to happen in the future."
Fine Gael housing spokesman Terence Flanagan said, however, the Minister was “completely out of touch with reality” over his statement that he would issue new guidelines to ensure that building on flood plains will become a thing of the past.
“In case the Minister is not aware the horse has bolted and the damage has been done. Over the past 10 years builders and developers were allowed by Government to build on flood plains throughout the country including the former Baldoyle flood plain in my own constituency,” he said.
Labour Party environment spokeswoman Joanna Tuffy said the Minister’s attempt to blame the recent floods on climate change was “an insult to people’s intelligence” and that it was a failure on the part of the Greens, as a Government party, to accept responsibility for the lack of adequate preparations for such events.
“Heavy rainfall and consequential flooding are not a new phenomenon, and while of course the impact of climate change on the levels of rainfall in Ireland is something that needs to be tackled, the fact of the matter is that the damage from the flooding in the last few weeks has been so bad, because a complete lack of preparedness on the part of the government,” she said.
A number of towns throughout Ireland continued clean-up operations today as flooding caused by more heavy rain in recent days began to recede.
The flooding has created problems with drinking water supplies in some areas. Drinking water is being delivered to homes in north Sligo due to issues with the Kilsellagh supply, Sligo County Council said.
Residents of Rosses Point, Kiltycahill and northern parts of Sligo town have been urged to boil all water for consumption. Boil notices have also been posted in parts of Co Meath, including Athboy and Moynalty.
A number of roads in the midlands and south east have been closed due to partial collapses or flooding.
In Tipperary, the Ballyheen road is closed just off the Templemore to Borrisoleigh road (R501) until further notice. The road has partially collapsed and there is no access.
Also in Tipperary, the Fethard to Urlingford road (R689) is closed until further notice at Ballynunty after a bridge collapse. The road may be closed for six to eight weeks.
Laois County Council said today that the situation in the county was "improving" on recent days.
Senior engineer Michael O'Hora told The Irish Times that flood waters are receding and that there is no threat to property. The R430 Abbeyleix to Carlow road is reopen after a small landslide yesterday forced the temporary closure of one lane, Mr O'Hora said.
In Waterford, part of the Tramore road remains closed following flooding. The local authority reported a lot of damage on roads around Tramore following Saturday's downpour.
Limerick County Council has appointed a consultant to carry out an impact report following recent flooding in the catchment areas of the Arragh and Galey rivers, including Newcastlewest and Athea.
Carlow town remained the area worst affected by the torrential rain of recent days, but parts of counties Offaly, Tipperary, Kilkenny, Laois and Galway were also flooded. Thousands of homes had their phones cut off as a result of the heavy rains and flooding and a number of roads remained impassable.
More than 100 residents of an apartment block in Carlow who were forced, because of the flooding, to spend Sunday night in hotels and BBs were ferried to work yesterday by members of the Civil Defence. Water levels in the town are dropping, but officials say further rain could bring renewed flooding. Some streets remain closed.
In the north, a spokeswoman for Northern Ireland Water said the flooding had not threatened the security of drinking water.
All water supply equipment remained fully “functional”, she added.
The flooded Broadway underpass's citybound carriageway was due to open at 06.30am, with the countrybound lane due to open later today.
The Stormont regional development committee, will hold an emergency meeting later to discuss the flooding.