John Brassil (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Regarding the response to the storm, has the Minister issued the local authorities with letters of reassurance that money will be forthcoming for emergency works necessitated by the disruption to the roads caused by the freezing of snow? Snow on roads freezes, expands and causes havoc. That is really necessary because those works need to be carried out right now, and the local authorities need the reassurance that they will be funded.

I welcome the fact that the Cabinet has met and agreed to provide extra funding, but I note that there was a red alert rain warning in Kerry in November. Several roads were washed away. I wrote to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross, requesting emergency funding, and six weeks later he replied that it was the responsibility of the local authority. Red alert events that happen outside Dublin have equal consequences and impact. I ask the Minister to treat the rest of the country fairly. When the east coast is affected, we all get a positive response, but when it is not, we are ignored.

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