Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)

I thank the Comhchathaoirleach for allowing me in. I agree with Seán Ó Domhnaill that we are not ready. If we call a spade a spade, the only thing we have is one report out and a few meetings. I will ask the Departments of housing and the environment one question. Why have they not liaised with the Department of agriculture? There are 2,640 ha of trees sown since that storm. Some of them are under wires or within 5 m and 10 m of them. Why have the Departments not made sure that there is a change in the regulation to that?

Regarding the ESB, I put it to the witnesses that we have really suffered in Roscommon and east Galway. Senator Scahill, too, is based in that area. Temporary jobs have been done. The ESB has gone down the road of Irish Water. This is the problem with the ESB. It has gone down the road of having three or four suppliers around the country that will cut its trees and do its work. It does not want ten or 20 in each county. The ESB should go back to that. Each area should be put out where contractors can be got rapidly. We offered diggers to the ESB. The electricity was gone for 16 days. Diggers were offered, with insurance and everything, because locals in our areas were desperate, but no, the ESB had to have people who have done this course, that course and the other course. I agree with courses but why were they not done all summer? It is now ten months later and we are coming into a season again where in my area and Senator Scahill's area we have been without electricity twice since, with two more storms. We throw our hands up in the air. The ESB needs to change its attitude.

In the line of councils, I heard Mr. Kehoe referring to this. On the report it says that roadside trees need to be brought down under the level of wires. We also know about forestry. Some 85% to 90% of our problems are in that. What price does Mr. Kehoe put on a life? He said he did not believe roadside trees could be cut. They could be healthy or whatever. What price would he put on a life? I believe, and the Department should get involved in this, that we should sow two trees for every tree we cut to ensure we have every box ticked but to make sure people's lives are more important than having a roadside tree and talking about our greenery or whatever.

Regarding councils, one thing needs to be admitted here. All the staff in the councils were kept in because of health and safety. The storm was well gone. It was local communities who got loadalls and teleporters out. I did it myself with a digger because every road was blocked. That happened because it was the following day, 5 o'clock and 6 o'clock in the evening, before council staff were let out. It is fine to use the health and safety thing but there were lorry drivers moving food around this country who could not get from A to B and it was local communities that helped. I ask the Department of the environment to liaise with the councils to have a back-up team in each district or area of community people, because that is what did it. Let us call a spade a spade. That is what got people rolling in rural areas. Why would they not put a team together that the council could ring and ask to go out there and put a bit of co-ordination into it, rather than people claiming everything and delivering nothing?