Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I do not accept that. Flooding arose from exceptional rainfall in a short period following very heavy rainfall throughout the year. Local authorities responded to the emerging position using the co-ordination and inter-agency arrangements set out in the framework for emergency management. As I saw for myself, there was excellent co-operation between local authorities, the Health Service Executive, the Garda Síochána and other statutory agencies and voluntary bodies.

The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has already pointed out to the Joint Committee on the Environment, Heritage and Local Government that his Department was aware of difficulties in areas of County Cork following contact on Thursday, 19 November from an assistant county manager indicating that flooding problems could emerge. He asked the next morning that a national emergency response co-ordination committee be convened, and that meeting was convened at 3 p.m. that day. It met daily initially and on 11 occasions in total in November and December up to 8 December, when it was stood down.

Over €16 million was given to 19 local authorities last December to meet exceptional costs in response to the flooding in their areas and €50 million has been allocated to the Office of Public Works for 2010 flood protection activities. The roads allocation for this year is approximately €411 million. Quite exceptionally and rightly, the Minister for Transport has given full discretion to local authorities to identify or utilise those funds in a way that meets the priorities they set as a result of what has happened over the winter. When one considers the estimated cost is in the region of €180 million in respect of those roads that were identified, the allocation can and should come from that funding. Councils are prioritising those works because this is sensible. If it means other works of a lesser emergency nature need to be deferred for this year, this is what should happen. This was an exceptional situation. I agree people were inconvenienced. However, people worked at community level to address practical concerns. There were many examples of good neighbourliness and local community groups taking action. These are well documented and many people are aware of them from personal experience.

Regarding the question of salt replies, thankfully, the local authorities never ran out of such supplies but one cannot salt every road every day. The maintenance of the main roads was the priority as they carry the majority of road transport. It is the case that rural areas were more affected. However, the local community effort convened to address the situation - as it must because there was such a sudden and widespread problem - and was brought into play.

Issues arise in the context of any emergency situation which need to be addressed and not every issue is covered as would be the case in normal circumstances - this is the definition of an emergency. Local authorities responded in December but the period of inclement weather continued after Christmas and the problem of supplies of salt for the roads became evident. Given the unusual prolongation of the severe weather, the cumulative effects of the extended freeze and the implications of the return to normal activity levels by businesses and schools after the Christmas period, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, whose Department had been monitoring that situation at local level, convened a committee to co-ordinate the multidimensional emergency response. The Department of Transport and the NRA had also been monitoring the roads situation and the two Departments were already engaged in a combined response to the situation.

It has to be borne in mind that the prolonged severe weather was the worst for many years. The co-ordination and emergency plans work on the basis of local co-ordination to deal with local issues. The centralised effort is to do with ensuring there are adequate supplies of the necessary material. The bad weather affected here, Northern Ireland and the UK and there was a significant demand in those jurisdictions for salt supplies. It was a difficult situation but one that was managed quite well in the circumstances, given the amount of salt available and the very considerable amounts needed to be used on the roads daily in the initial stages. However, as the situation became prolonged, the strategy had to be adapted.

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