James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)

I refer to an item of pending legislation, the environment (miscellaneous provisions) Bill. Will the Minister take the opportunity to appoint an easily identifiable central figure who will be responsible for making sure there is a sufficient reservoir of salt in the country, much as we do with our oil reserves? Someone keeps an eye on this and knows how much oil is in the country at any one time. Met Éireann was able to predict how long the cold spell would last yet we did not have anyone who could take control and ensure we had adequate salt supplies for the duration. It will happen again and we need someone appointed. The opportunity is there.

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