Malcolm Noonan (Green Party)

Again, thanks to all agencies for their incredible response to what was a devastating storm.

My first question is for the CCMA. In the CCMA statement and in the reporting there was a welcoming of funding being met to meet the requirements of meeting the damage caused by the storm. Is there a case to be made for a strategic rolling fund to be put in place, given that all the predictions are that there will be increased frequency of storm events? As Mr. Kehoe said earlier, it is not the big storm events like Storm Éowyn but smaller storm events, flooding events or snow events that undermine road infrastructure. Is there a case for a central pot of funding to be made available to local authorities, which can be topped up on an annual basis by the Government and availed of on a needs basis?