My question is on climate change. Last Wednesday was a serious day weather-wise for this country. It seems that some people have forgotten that two people lost their lives. Some 200,000 people's homes and businesses lost power. A number of people were trapped in vehicles by falling trees. In some ways it appears that Met Éireann and others got it wrong. It was a serious event. I drove from Roscommon to Dublin, and the amount of debris flying around the place was shocking. Even in this city some people were trapped in cars by falling trees.

This brings me to the national weather forecasting service which has been promised. We know the steering group has been set up and it has had a number of meetings. I understand terms of reference have been agreed and some other issues have been addressed. This service will deal with flood forecasting, which is so important due to climate change. I was somewhat annoyed that Deputy Ryan was dismissed in some important points he was making. It is anticipated it will take five years to put this service in place. As the Taoiseach knows, wind and rain will not wait for anybody. Only two staff have been appointed but 15 are needed. I appeal to the Government to speed this up. We are told many storms will come our way because of climate change, and it is a matter we must take seriously.

My Department, along with other Departments, is working closely with Met Éireann. Staff have been appointed and more will be appointed, but there is no easy solution. High-quality and trained people are required, and it takes time. It will take five years. There is no point in saying we will throw money at it and there will be staff on the ground. That is not possible.

In fairness, last week Met Éireann was on top of the brief, as were my Department and every other Department that sits around the table. We had a number of discussions on it. The way the weather hit was unfortunate but we are fully aware of the work we must do to try to-----