Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

This is an emergency. An emergency should be declared. I have pointed out the figures - between 1,000 and 1,500 ha of forestry alone are gone along with 2,000 ha of bogland. They have been burned. There is a serious threat to people's lives and, as has been outlined, to wildlife and habitats. At the very least I would have expected to have heard what the emergency response from the Department has been. Has the Minister of State or any Minister gone down to inspect the area and talk with the services on the ground? What interim report has come back? What are the Minister of State's long-term and intermediate plans? I would have expected that at the very least. This is a most serious fire. An area five times the size of the Phoenix Park has been destroyed, and there is nothing in the five pages about Galway.

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