Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)

It is obviously depending on the tree but I am telling the Deputy we have to work on this in a very structured way. Surveys are critically important. The whole network had never been surveyed as it has been done now. While I was in the process of telling the Deputy about the extensive survey work that is being done, a lot of clearances have happened already post storm, and the Deputy will know that from his own constituency. Three years' worth of timber was affected during the course of the storm that needed to be cleared, either having been felled by the storm or needing to be attended to. What we are doing now is, the survey work is nearly completed. This is exactly what we said we would do, by the way, as well as that we would get the winter resilience plan in place and we would have more spare capacity. That programme of additional works will be undertaken in advance of the winter. All of those corridors will not be cleared by the winter. If you look at the forested areas across the country, it is just not possible to do that so we are focusing on the worst affected areas and those most at risk.

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