Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I commend the Minister on the leadership he showed on behalf of the Government during this crisis. It was very reassuring for people to be aware of the Government's interest and concern and that funding would be made available to deal with the situation as it arose. That was much appreciated.

The area I represent in west Cork relies very heavily on tourism. Unfortunately, some of our finest natural assets were destroyed during the recent storm. It is imperative that the Government supports the local authority in fixing and making good the damage done to the natural infrastructure which attracts thousands of people to west Cork each year.

Another area on which I would like to focus is the damage done to roads by this storm. While the majority of the damage was done to beach walls close to the coast, much damage was done by the flooding of roads, which is very corrosive. When allocating funding, the Minister should consider placing a prerequisite on it that maintenance is central to it to ensure future events, such as this, are catered for.

For too long, the local authorities have been guilty of fixing roads by filling patches of them with tar without taking the water off the roadway. If that work is not done, we will be having the same debate here again soon. The weather does not look like it will get any better in the short to medium term. We have to be more proactive and to take a bigger view of this. We should penalise local authorities that do not undertake the necessary maintenance works, or do not provide for drainage to take water off the roads as part of remedial works. I support the comments of Deputies Maureen O'Sullivan and Noel Harrington about Cape Clear, which took a particular battering. I ask the Minister to take a special interest in ensuring the necessary moneys are made available there. I would like to conclude by commending the emergency services, the local authorities, the Garda and everyone who was involved in dealing with these issues at a very difficult time for families. They were willing to give up their time for the greater good.

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