Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the people of Kildare, I express my gratitude to Kildare County Council, Civil Defence, the Department of Defence, the community volunteers and the farming community for doing such incredibly hard work over a sustained period of time. There is absolutely no doubt that people's lives were hugely impacted, and will be adversely impacted for quite a while. People are still snowbound. We have a situation where people do not have water and in some cases do not have electricity. The necessary emergency operations will cost Kildare County Council more than €1 million, and that is without mentioning the damage that has been done to our roads. What commitment can the Government make to Kildare County Council regarding the restoration of that €1 million and what money can it promise for the upgrading of our roads after the horrific events? I note that Kildare was one of the counties that was impacted most adversely.

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