Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 29 January 2014
19. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the damage inflicted on offshore islands as a result of the recent exceptional weather; the actions his Department will take to remediate this damage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4001/14]
View answerResponsibility for public infrastructure on the islands comes under the relevant local authorities and my officials are actively engaged with them regarding the damage caused. Local authorities continue to provide information updates as they progress their assessment of the damage caused – work which is being co-ordinated by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. With regard to marine facilities on islands which are essential for access purposes, it is hoped that these can be included for the purposes of any package of assistance that may be made available to repair storm damage to important infrastructure. In terms of other infrastructure which was damaged on the offshore islands as a result of the bad weather, my Department, while very cognisant of the significant reductions in the capital allocation available to it for islands, will seek to take whatever supportive measures it can.
As the Deputy may be aware, an interim report in relation to the damage caused by the bad weather was presented to Government recently. I can inform the Deputy that I also wrote to the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government and to the Minister of State at the OPW in order to draw their particular attention to the damage caused to island infrastructure.
