Vol. 199 No. 3
asked the Minister for Defence what assistance was rendered by the Army in relieving persons snow-bound during the recent inclement weather; and if, having regard to the widespread public disappointment at the failure of the Government to play a more active part in relief operations, he will make a statement on the matter.
34.
asked the Minister for Defence why sections of the Army, with mechanical equipment, were not used for the relief of persons marooned during the recent snow storms.
35.
asked the Minister for Defence whether Army vehicles and personnel were used to help to clear roads and to open up communications with any areas snowed-up during the recent blizzard; and, if so, if he will state the names of the areas and the number of vehicles and personnel which were engaged.
36.
asked the Minister for Defence whether any use was made of the Defence Forces or their equipment for the purpose of clearing snow, aiding distressed persons, etc., during the recent bad weather; if so, what use; and why further use was not made of the resources of the Defence Forces to aid in this emergency period.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 33, 34, 35 and 36 together.
My Department is prepared to render such assistance as it can in the circumstances comprehended in the questions, at the request of the local authorities concerned.
During the recent inclement weather five requests for assistance were received in the Department. Particulars of the five cases are briefly as follows:—
(1) Arising out of a request from a private individual in the Blessington area, County Wicklow, on 31 Nollaig, 1962, the Department got in touch with Wicklow County Council and intimated that any request the council might make for assistance would be sympathetically considered. At the council's request two Army trucks (with two drivers per truck and 23 other men) were provided on 1 Eanáir, 1963, to convey supplies from Naas to Blessington. In the event the trucks did not succeed in getting through to Blessington because of ground conditions.
(2) On 3 Eanáir, 1963, the Evening Herald inquired whether the Department would be prepared to supply aircraft to drop food (which the newspaper would supply) in Valleymount, County Wicklow. Wicklow County Council was advised of the request and indicated that as the road to Valleymount was open the use of aircraft to deliver food there was not considered necessary.
(3) On 3 Eanáir, 1963, Deputy Clinton requested the Department that a Sáirsint of An tAer Chór, who was a member of the Irish Parachute Club, should be made available to travel with other members of the Club in an aircraft, which was scheduled to drop supplies the following day (4 Eanáir, 1963) in County Wicklow. The Deputy stated that the Sáirsint had exhausted his annual leave and that he would be a keyman in the Club's projected operations.
Special leave with pay was authorised for the Sáirsint who, I understand, participated in a supplies-dropping operation on 5 Eanáir, 1963. Apparently weather conditions did not permit such an operation on 4 Eanáir, 1963.
(4) During the period 4 to 7 Eanáir, 1963, Deputy Cosgrave and others approached the Department regarding the position in Ballinascorney area, County Dublin. The matter was discussed with Dublin County Council which indicated that the situation in the area did not call for military assistance.
(5) On 5 Eanáir, 1963, two land-rovers, with two drivers for each, were made available to Wicklow County Council for use in connection with relief work in the Blessington and Valleymount areas.
Arising from the Minister's reply in which he says that the Department are prepared to render assistance of the type indicated in the questions, if requested by the local authority, would the Minister be good enough to look into this position for me? As recently as yesterday evening, I received a telephone message in the House here from a gentleman speaking on behalf of six families in the Ballyfolan area requesting permission from the Department of Defence to use a bulldozer stationed at Kilbride Camp for the purpose of clearing roadways in the area. He states that the children have been unable to go to school and that the Army personnel are prepared to do the necessary work, if permission is given. I would ask the Minister to look into that matter, with the county council authorities if necessary, so that the work can be done.
I should like to stress that the military authorities do not act unless they get a request from the local authority. If the request mentioned by Deputy O'Higgins comes to us from the local authority, I can assure him——
Will the Minister take it from me?
We have established a system of finding out whether distress requires military assistance——
You are only a T.D., not a county manager.
But I put it to you that you have information of the request to the Department to get in touch with the county council.
What is the name of the place?
Ballyfolan, near Kilbride.
I can pass on the request to the local authority.
Was it not possible for the Deputy to see the Minister this morning and not advertise himself?
Read the Irish Press editorial to-day.
It is clear to all the Deputies who live in the areas where the snowstorms abounded that there was urgent need for assistance to relieve the people who were marooned. The evidence of that was made clearest of all in County Wicklow. In view of that, what the public cannot understand is how so many members of the Army were available to help but on the initiative of the Government did not give it.
What were they to do?
Dig the people out.
Is this not all nonsense? There was no scarcity of man-power.
This is a direct attempt to make political capital out of——
That is the lowest form of allegation.
Ask Deputy Norton when he began to live in Wicklow.
There was no scarcity of manpower or of machines from the moment the snow started to fall.
Somebody is talking tripe. Keep quiet for a moment. I want to ask a question. The question I was asking before I was interrupted was, is the Minister not aware of the fact that the people expected that the Army which was available would be utilised——
Doing what?
——to use its mechanical resources to go into these snowbound areas and relieve the people in the plight in which they found themselves? Instead of that, the Minister gets himself wrapped up——
This is an argument.
——in a fantail file. The plain fact of the matter is that the people expected the Army——
This is an argument not a question.
——to take the initiative.
Doing what?
Digging them out.
They could not remove the snow with picks and shovels.
Why can we send thousands of troops to the Congo and not send 100 of them to Wicklow?
This is great propaganda.
Have we now reached the stage——
Where corrugated iron is used to transport women to maternity hospitals.
——that the representations of elected representatives of the people are not to receive attention unless they are communicated to a Department of State through the secretary of the county council——
The Minister did not say that at all.
That is what the Minister said.
That is not true. What the Minister said was that the Army would send their machinery and men at the request of the county council.
The Minister is here to answer for himself unless the Taoiseach wants to sack him. What I am asking is this: the Minister said that he would entertain no representations if they did not come to him from the local authority——
When did Deputy O'Higgins receive this request?
I am asking a question. I want to know is it so that a public representative's representations on behalf of his constituency will not be received by a Department of State unless and until they are relayed by the county manager?
The Minister did not say that.
If that is so, we have all gone daft and the Minister and the Taoiseach have gone daft first.
The Minister did not say that. When did Deputy O'Higgins get his request? When did you get it?
If the Taoiseach——
When did you get this telephone call you are talking about?
Pipe down.
He is not before one of your tribunals now.
It is quite clear that the heat generated on the Government benches when this matter is raised is likely to thaw all the snow in Wicklow.
When did you get the telephone call?
Let there be no mistake: the Taoiseach is in the dock and no one else.
Order! From now on there will only be definite questions and not arguments. Does Deputy Brennan want to ask a question?
I want to ask this question——
Have you consulted the county manager before you do?
At any time that a request for relief was received, I went to the county engineer who is the official responsible for keeping the roads clear.
That is not a question.
I would resent people moving in to dig up our roads.
You have all gone daft on that side of the House.
Might I courteously ask a simple supplementary question? The Department of Defence listened to the representations which were made, but said that unless the request was received from the local authority they could not act. The point was that the local authority had gone as far as their machinery and equipment could go but the residents of the area felt that if manual labour was employed at this stage a much greater clearance could be effected and there was a lack of co-ordination at that stage between the local authorities and the Army.
In certain instances, the reverse was the case. The Department of Defence put an inquiry to the local authority, being prepared to give the help which was requested, and the local authority replied: "No, it is not necessary."
What about these people who still want the roads cleared now in County Wicklow?
