Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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154. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the reason no application was made to the EU Emergency Response Co-ordination Centre for assistance in establishing the scale of flooding and coastal damage caused by the storms that affected the country since December 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8726/14]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The EU Emergency Response Co-ordination Centre (ERCC) is operated by DG ECHO of the European Commission under the E U Civil Protection Mechanism. The objective of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism is to have arrangements in place to co-ordinate the provision by Member States of mutual aid to another Member State or Third Country in the event of an emergency which has overwhelmed that State’s own response capacity. The function of the ERCC is to liaise with the affected country which requests assistance , to co-ordinate the dispatch of assistance from other Member States and to share any relevant information. The Mechanism operates under the principle of subsidiarity and can only be initiated with a formal request for assistance from an affected Member State. In view of the fact that our national response resources were not overwhelmed during the period of severe weather, and the response was effectively managed at local level, no request was made to the ERCC for assistance. I understand that under a mutual agreement, UK and Northern Ireland electricity have been assisting the ESB with power restoration since 17 February.

Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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155. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he has sought EU funding for repairs to infrastructure following recent storm damage; the prospects for such funding; the threshold requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8728/14]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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My Department and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform have had initial discussions with the European Commission on possible EU funding under the Solidarity and Regional Support schemes. The purpose of the EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) is to allow Member States to request financial aid in the event of major natural disasters. There is a damage threshold per Member State which is set at 0.6% of GNI. The estimated costs of damage caused by the storms between 13 December 2013 and 6 January 2014 of €61.472 m, plus other costs estimated at €10 m, are well below the non-negotiable GNI threshold of 0.6% (€770m in the case of Ireland) of the Solidarity Fund. Assistance from the Fund is limited to financing emergency operations undertaken by the public authorities alleviating non-insurable damages. The possibility of a regional application has also been considered. This is also subject to a series of impact criteria, (including 50% of population of an affected region) which this situation does not appear to meet.