Mr. Seán Hogan:

The Deputy raised several points. I deeply regret the loss of life during Storm Ophelia and the surrounding issues. However, I do not think I should comment on an individual case or circumstance. I am happy to comment on the overall issue raised by the Deputy arising from that in terms of statutory powers to close workplaces during a status red warning. Our clear priority is the protection of life and limb. The role of the national emergency co-ordination group during status red alerts has been about what we add to the weather information provided by Met Éireann. We provide additional public safety advice when there are real and definite public safety issues. We do not operate under legislation. Other countries take different approaches, such as declaring code red, closing certain locations and having statutory requirements. My view rather than that of the Department is that I am unsure that legislation would be of benefit in such situations. We would describe our system as integrated emergency management, which comes from international practice in this area. We want to get communities to respond to the advice and warnings rather than our taking a central command-and-control approach whereby we sit in Dublin and state that certain things will happen. The latter is not the approach we have promulgated for the past decade. I have question marks over whether it would be right tone or would work in this country. We have developed a system whereby we try to send out information and encourage people to react to it in an appropriate and sensible way. Although I do not wish to individualise the issue, it is all about people taking account of the warnings. The Met Éireann weather alert system is such that if it is a yellow alert, people need to be aware of it; if it is orange, they need to be thinking about it; and if it is red, they need to do something about it. It is a very simple and straightforward system. We do not have statutory powers. I would not be in favour of powers which would enable a person in a position such as mine to close certain locations, such as workplaces in particular.

One of the things we have learned from reviewing the response to severe weather events is that workplaces are complex and non-homogenous. We or I discovered that there is a series of essential services which must be kept going and for which necessary arrangments must be made. We were familiar with such requirements from the need to keep the fire service operational during emergencies. The experience of Storm Ophelia and Storm Emma brought home the need for a range of employment sectors to develop enhanced staffing arrangements to keep businesses such as bakeries and those involved in logistics operational. These are not high-profile jobs but they are essential to keep the country. Every employer needs to give consideration to this issue. Many have done so and others are doing so.

Advice and guidance is available. Our colleagues in the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation published guidance which has been updated that since Storms Ophelia and Emma. Obviously, individual employers must look at business continuity and what they need to do to keep their business going, particularly in certain sectors. Many employers alter working hours or arrangements. Within the emergency services, many fire services are provided by retained fire services. Various arrangements have been put in place by local authorities and other relevant bodies to ensure a continuity of fire services when an extreme weather event is forecast with a sufficient lead-in time.

On Deputy Barry's request for my comments on the issue, I am not convinced that legislation is the way to go and I do not wish to comment on individual cases.

On homelessness, I am unsure of the particular circumstances on the night of 29 January of this year to which the Deputy referred. From memory, the weather in February was lovely. I am trying to recall what happened on 29 January. It may have been below zero, but there are between 40 and 60 nights when temperatures fall below zero and a well-established system is in place for local authorities to react in those situations. I am not in a position to comment directly on 29 January. I reiterate that the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive and such organisations do not report directly to us. In the first instance, it would work with Dublin City Council. I am not in a position to comment on the events of that night. However, I assure the Deputy that homeless is an issue that comes before the national emergency co-ordination group and into which particular effort is put.