Dáil debates

Tuesday, 27 February 2018

Severe Weather Conditions: Statements

 

2:50 pm

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Before moving on to the Order of Business, I understand the Taoiseach wishes to make a brief statement.

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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It is on snow.

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Is the Taoiseach going to give us a weather forecast?

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I have done the lotto but I have not yet done the weather forecast. I wish to say a few words about the so-called beast from the east and Storm Emma. The national emergency co-ordination group is co-ordinating responses across all Departments and State agencies and it will keep the public regularly informed about what is needed to stay safe. I assure the people that while we are hoping for the best, we are preparing for the worst and we will be ready for whatever the weather brings. I ask people to look after their neighbours, especially those who are isolated or living alone, to look after the elderly and to look after each other. I ask them to follow up-to-the-minute expert advice and not to do anything that would put their lives, or the lives of others, in danger. If we take the right precautions we can avoid tragedies and we should be united in the way we face this national challenge. Information will be updated regularly and all information will be available on www.gov.iefrom 4 p.m.

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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On a point of order, I realise that this is an important issue and I have no difficulty with the Taoiseach's presentation, but it would have been helpful if we could have had a short debate on issues not covered by what the Taoiseach said. There should be proper communication to every party as to the order of what is going on in the House and what debates are happening. People could have legitimate questions to ask of the relevant Minister about our preparations.

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Questions to the Minister take place at 3.30 p.m.

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am talking about Members of the House in general. That is the way it should happen.

Photo of Mary Lou McDonaldMary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I am sure people appreciate the Taoiseach's concern for the welfare of our citizens but I am a bit at a loss as to the purpose of his statement. It was a statement of the obvious as, clearly, there will be updates. He did not say anything concrete to bring some relief or comfort to citizens who live in vulnerable places, in particular older citizens and those who live in cold houses. If the Taoiseach goes to the bother of making a statement to the House, I would have thought there would be more substance to it than spin and that he would have something constructive and useful to say to people. I recommend that he consider people living on their own and in vulnerable circumstances, particularly those who are living in fuel poverty. I ask him to come back tomorrow and state on the floor of the Dáil what precisely he is proposing to do to bring relief and comfort to those citizens.

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I do not mean us to have a debate on this but Deputies Mattie McGrath and Bríd Smith have indicated.

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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On behalf of the Rural Independent Group, I welcome the statement and it is a pity we do not have more time. The FCI has 795 contractors at the ready, which was communicated to the national strategy team yesterday. They should be used because a spin machine cannot distribute grit. We need constant updates and concern to be shown for the people of rural, as well as urban, Ireland.

Photo of Bríd SmithBríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I had a phone call this morning from pensioners who live in Claddagh Court in Ballyfermot. It is a council-run facility which houses a few hundred pensioners. The council, as a matter of policy, turns off the heating every night.

Many of these pensioners will be leaving their ovens on and keeping them open in order to keep their flats warm so as well as the issues that have been raised by others about fuel poverty, there is also the issue of whether the Government can instruct local authorities and voluntary bodies that run flats for old people to leave the heating on because the residents do not have the option of controlling the temperature in their flats. If a red alert is issued, there needs to be an instruction to workers not to come to work and an instruction to employers to pay them. We cannot leave it vague and open because it is putting too many people at risk.

3:00 pm

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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We cannot get into all of those matters now.

Photo of Bríd SmithBríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I am particularly concerned about fuel poverty.

Photo of Joan CollinsJoan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent)
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I am sure many of us would have received emails from disabled people saying the HSE has contacted them to tell them it cannot guarantee that personal assistants will be around on Thursday and Friday. While I agree that workers cannot be forced to go out if conditions are very bad, how do we facilitate those people who need personal assistants who could be without them for 36 or 48 hours? This issue is of huge concern but has not been addressed.