Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I pay tribute to the ESB crews who worked night and day. Many of them were exhausted, along with the crews from the various providers across Europe. I refer to the relationships the ESB has with them. This was the most severe storm in living memory and it had an impact to such an extent that 768,000 people were left without power. I accept it has been a long time, but, thankfully, the last of those disconnected have been reconnected. We will reflect on and examine what happened. We have provided humanitarian supports but the reality is that even with the dividends the ESB will have this year, it is a State-owned company so everything it earns goes back into the service.

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