John Ellis (Fianna Fail)

Every Senator is concerned about the events which have taken place over recent days. I appreciate the fact that the Leader has arranged time tomorrow to hold a full debate on the matter. Statements could be made in the Chamber that cannot be made publicly outside these Houses with regard to the actions of certain individuals, although not all farmers are implicated. I do not refer to the produce that entered a certain plant but to the recycled materials which were misused and which need to be investigated. I might add that not all of these are involved in the food industry.

We switched on our radios this morning to hear alerts about vehicles driving off roads throughout the country. There should be a duty on the National Roads Authority to ensure all roads are gritted in frosty conditions. The agency has failed to take the appropriate action in time. There are consequences for private individuals and others from cars rolling into ditches and trucks jack knifing. I do not refer to people acting the fool but to those who are going about their business. We can avoid these situations through the use of proper gritting systems. The midlands region appears to be prominent in its lack of gritting. I pay tribute to my own local authority, which even grits regional roads in bad weather conditions. There is an onus on the NRA to ensure sufficient funds are provided to local authorities to ensure proper gritting systems are put in place. It should be applied as necessary so that we will not have to listen again to what we heard on the national airwaves this morning.