Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)

I assume the Minister wrote to each local authority. It would be acceptable and understandable, given the workload faced by local authorities, not just with the flooding but taking into account the Christmas period and the snow and inclement weather that their priorities might have been to deal with the emergencies they faced rather than to write reports.

What will happen to the information? Where will it go and will it be brought to the attention of the national emergency committee in a particular format or en bloc? Will an independent assessment of the data be made?

I do not imply anything untoward of the local authorities but a certain level of performance indication would be derived from the information that has been sent to the Department. Will there be an assessment to ensure that the information is accurate and captures all local authority activity?

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