Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 114: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the action he proposes arising from lessons learned during the severe weather conditions of this winter with particular reference to issues for which he has responsibility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4382/11]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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A process to review the response to the latest exceptional severe weather began on 12 January 2011. The primary objective of this latest review is to enable a quick identification of lessons which should be learned – what worked successfully and what needs improvement, so that organizations/ agencies are facilitated to consolidate and further enhance preparedness and the response process. This latest report is intended to build on, and incorporate issues from, reviews of previous severe weather emergencies, including the flooding of November 2009 and severe cold weather of January 2010. Many learning points and changes were implemented from those earlier experiences, and were used to good effect in the latest severe weather response. Among the areas I refer to are the enhanced integration of public transport with the response effort, new salt supply/ management arrangements operated by the NRA and local authorities, more developed arrangements for community involvement in the response and an enhanced approach to the provision of public information.

The two-stage review of the latest severe weather response takes account of the lessons learned and changes implemented from the November 2009 and January 2010 experience. Headline conclusions will be available for consideration by the relevant agencies involved in the response effort before the end of January 2011, while a more detailed review report will be completed by mid-March 2011.