Storm Chandra road damage
Joanna Byrne highlighted severe road and drainage damage in Louth after Storm Chandra and asked for urgent Government funding support. The Taoiseach said emergency provisions exist for councils nationwide and that the Government is considering additional submissions from the worst-affected areas.
I received a letter from Louth County Council, which I did not expect, requesting urgent support in securing Government funding to assist the council in addressing the extensive damage caused to the county's road and drainage infrastructure following Storm Chandra. The scale of the damage across the county is significant in both urban and rural areas, with the council recording 69 road closures and 81-----
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-----road locations, with an estimated overall reinstatement requirement of €3.61 million. In all my years dealing with Louth County Council, it has always gone through the proper channels, but for the council to call on TDs and Senators to publicise the need for additional Government funding highlights the dire situation.
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Will the Taoiseach explore this with the relevant Departments and Ministers, if he can?
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This is a general issue, not one that just applies to County Louth. What the Minister for public expenditure would say is that all county councils will have received funding that involved a provision for emergencies. That said, submissions have been made from county councils across the country, particularly those that were more affected than others by Storm Chandra.
The Government is giving consideration to that.