Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with colleagues who have spoken about the need to prepare for the next storm or the next major weather event. For a number of years I have been highlighting the dangers posed by falling trees every year. My west Cavan area, along with Deputy Eamon Scanlon's area in south Leitrim, have for many years annually suffered due to trees falling and interfering with and damaging ESB transmission lines. We need a robust approach to proper maintenance of forests, be they in public ownership or of private landowners. We also want to ensure that the electricity grid is upgraded and more resilient. Allied to that, we need to ensure that the grid of our telecommunications networks is resilient as well. I have had constituents on to me today from both Monaghan and Cavan who have no landlines and no broadband. There are many elderly people living on their own who depend on that button that they can press if they are in any difficulty. That emergency call system does not work if they do not have a landline or broadband. This is extremely urgent. There must be major Government investment along with the public utilities in ensuring that those grids, be it the energy grid or the telecommunications grid, are up to standard to literally weather any future storms.

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