Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)

I compliment the local authority staff who did such good work in the difficult weather conditions we had in the past number of weeks. However, there were enormous failings and the primary source of that failing was at governmental level. I am not criticising the Minister, Deputy Dempsey, for being on holidays but I am criticising him sternly for there being nobody in his stead while he was away. I telephoned the Department of Transport and was unable to speak to anybody. Nobody was in charge. I also telephoned the Minister, Deputy Gormley , but nobody was in charge. I did so because there was a difficulty in Wexford regarding the spreading of grit by private individuals.

The local authority was prepared to make grit available for the county roads which were not going to be gritted and were not part of the winter maintenance programme. As a result, the roads concerned would be left in a dangerous state. A decision needed to be made by the director of services with no guidance from any Minister or Department. I compliment the director of services in Wexford, Mr. Adrian Doyle, who took the decision to make 600 tonnes of grit available for the farmers of the county to spread. Many farmers spread it with large agricultural machinery and lime spreaders. I described it on local radio as like putting a suitcase into the boot of a car. Some 600 tonnes were spread on the 3,400 miles of county roads in Wexford. The five gritting machines owned by the local authority in Wexford were spreading some 30 tonnes per night, and 600 tonnes were spread by the farming community within three days.

Those roads, as the Leas-Cheann Comhairle knows, would not have been gritted. The director of services had to choose between leaving roads unsafe and dangerous because of health and safety. It was a farce and the fact the offices of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Dempsey, and the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, were not available left much to be desired.

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