Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the two Deputies for what appear to be constructive suggestions. It is extremely appropriate at this time of year that this issue should be debated and it is one that has been. It would be fair to acknowledge first that the response to emergencies to which the Deputies referred has been good in recent years. There is always room for improvement and the suggestions they made, particularly the one in Wicklow with which I am familiar, are constructive. I will certainly convey both Deputies’ suggestions to the appropriate local authorities and Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, for their comments.

As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding regarding the national roads programme. The planning, design and operation of the national road network, including winter maintenance operations, is the responsibility of TII under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Within its current and capital budget, the assessment and prioritisation of expenditure is a matter for TII in accordance with section 19 of the Roads Act.

The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority. The selection and prioritisation of works, including winter maintenance programmes, are also a matter for each local authority.

As the Deputies will have heard previously, Ireland has just under 100,000 km of road in its network and the maintenance of national, regional and local roads places significant demands on local authorities. Each local authority prepares an annual winter maintenance programme which outlines its plans for managing winter operations, including gritting.

In this context, TII operates the IceNet road weather information system, previously known as IceCast, to assist local authorities in the management and delivery of each local authority's winter maintenance activities. TII operates a network of road weather stations across the national road network, providing up to date information on road weather conditions. In addition, in conjunction with Met Éireann forecasts, the IceNet system provides weather forecasts for the national road network. This information is also used by local authorities to plan their treatment of regional and local roads.

I understand from TII that the system has been continuously improved and upgraded since the road weather information system was first developed in the 1990s. In the period since the severe weather episodes in 2010 the number of weather stations has increased from 60 to 100 and about 75 of those stations now have cameras installed with infra-red lighting capability.

Each year, in advance of the winter season, TII convenes an annual winter maintenance conference, attended by all local authorities. After that, decisions on delivery of winter maintenance activities, including the prioritisation of routes for salting, and where necessary snow ploughing, are operational matters made by local authorities.

Local authorities will make the call-out decision having considered the forecast, prevailing road conditions and local information provided by the relevant roads engineers and inspectors.

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