Storm Babet has devastated East Cork and its impact will likely reach Leinster House this week as politicians discuss the relief effort.
Here, we take a look at the issues to watch out for in the Dáil this week.
Storm Babet
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar visited Co Cork to see the devastation caused by Storm Babet.
He pledged funds will be doled out as soon as possible as he observed the clean-up.
“It’s very, very hard to know what to say. I visited a few places affected by floods in the past but this is particularly bad,” he said.
“Water levels rose very high, the water came very quickly, and of course, a lot of the water is dirty. So a lot of damage done here is to homes as well.
“But we’re not just here as a Government to just to express solidarity, we’re here to help.
“So we’re putting in place a financial package to help homes that are affected, businesses that weren’t insured – clearly a lot of damage to roads and bridges as well and they’re going to need to be repaired.”
He added: “There’s an initial allocation of €10 million to help families and businesses that are affected, and clubs and voluntary organisations too, but it’s not capped at €10 million, that’s just the initial allocation that’s made.”
Minister for Finance Michael McGrath has said that businesses impacted by flooding during Storm Babet will receive financial support this week.
Funds varying from €5,000 and up to €20,000 will be available, and if there is a need to go further because of a lack of flood insurance then there will be an increased level of support, he said.
Met Éireann's weather warning system may also be a topic of discussion as many people have criticised the national forecaster for not having a red warning in place for Cork.
Health funding
HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster has warned that the €22.5 billion health budget is not enough to keep the health service functioning at an adequate level.
Ministers have insised that the Government allocated as much as possible to the health service in Budger 2024.
However, this has been sharply criticised by opposition TDs and will again be a hotly-debated topic in the Dáil this week.
Israel-Hamas war
Talks on an agreed joint motion in the Dáil on Wednesday responding to violence in Israel and Gaza failed as Government and opposition TDs failed to agree to wording.
How to define Israel's role was understood to be the main issue.
As the conflict develops, it will remain a key point in the Dáil.
