Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

I am pleased to have an opportunity to raise this major issue. Every day we can see on our television screens, hear on the radio and read in our newspapers the extent of the adverse weather conditions that have gripped the country for the past few days and, we understand, will continue for quite a number of days to come. Roads, rail and airports are experiencing great difficulties and there are delays everywhere. Primary roads, motorways and national roads are being gritted, but there is great difficulty for local authorities in reaching secondary roads and they may not have enough resources to make sure they are gritted, which is causing major problems.

At present, we need to deal with the initial difficulties that are being experienced. There should have been sufficient warning from last year's experience to ensure the country would be well prepared for adverse weather and that there would be adequate leadership, including the presence of the Minister in the country. Last year no Minister would take charge, but at least the Minister is here this year. It was important to ensure there would be adequate reserves of salt and sand to allow the local authorities to carry out their work. I was in Drogheda yesterday and I travelled the road from the motorway through to Julianstown to get there. The traffic was bumper to bumper for approximately ten kilometres. The roads were not gritted and traffic proceeded at a snail's place to prevent accidents from taking place. However, accidents did occur. Clearly, we are not as well prepared as we should be. It is time to recognise that what was an event that occurred once every 50 or 100 years - this is how it was described by people recently - is now happening every year. What were abnormal weather conditions, whether wintry weather or flooding, are now becoming the norm in the country and it is time this was addressed.

Although the emergency planning task force is in operation and the Minister meets the various agencies on a regular basis, there is not much value in co-ordinating the activities of the agencies and the local authorities unless there is adequate funding to ensure the plans can be implemented thoroughly. Last night during the budget debates the manager of Dublin City Council stated that the council had not received one extra cent for this coming year to deal with adverse weather conditions. That is not good enough. Local authorities throughout the country are doing their best to try to provide services but they have one hand tied behind their backs if they do not have extra funding to pay for the overtime, resources and materials required and the work which must be carried out night and day. Almost all of this work must be carried out in the middle of the night to prepare for the morning such that commuters can move.

I call on the Minister of State to recognise that we have a new dispensation at this point. It is no longer the case that Ireland has a mild, temperate climate and does not experience extremes or polarity of weather. It is rapidly becoming the case that we experience extremes of weather, whether flooding or wintry conditions. While recognising this, the Minister must follow on and not simply provide an emergency task force but also provide the resources essential for the task force to carry out the work. This is where the Government has fallen down to date. This is November and December and January are yet to come. I trust the Minister of State will provide us with some detailed and specific information with regard to what the Government will do to ensure the local authorities can provide the services required to keep the country running, to keep the roads open and to ensure workers can get to work in time. These are important issues the Minister must address.

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