Laois council can hire 'pen pushers' but not outdoor storm response workers - insists TD

Laois County Council can hire indoor staff and 'pen pushers' but it cannot get permission to hire full time outdoor staff to respond to emergencies like Storm Éowyn, according to Laois TD Brian Stanley.

The independent TD made the same charge about ESB in the Dáil where he said outdoor workers in the electricity company and the local authorities have been allowed to be 'depleted' in favour of the privatisation of services.

The TD spoke in Leinster House about the response to Storm Éowyn which was given by the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Healy-Rae.

Dep Stanley said Laois was badly hit by the historic weather event. He praised the local response but said there were lessons.

"The effects of the storm in County Laois were severe, with hundreds of roads blocked and trees down. I acknowledge the work of the ESB staff, the outdoor staff of Laois County Council, the volunteers in Laois Civil Defence and all the others who played a role in dealing with the emergency situation. Lessons must be learned," said the Portlaoise-based TD.

He said councils did 'great work' but the response was impacted by staffing policies.

"Laois County Council did great with 50 outdoor staff. There used to be multiples of that number of outdoor staff. Those staff have been depleted in county councils over the years, with work being farmed out to private contractors.

"Senior council staff tell me the Department will sanction clerical officers and all kinds of indoor staff and pen pushers but it will not sanction outdoor staff. I want the Minister of State to take that on board. This is the real problem. There is only a handful of outdoor staff in most of the municipal districts," he said. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Laois Fire and Rescue Service crew clear a tree in Portlaoise felled by Storm Éowyn. PIC: Laois County Council

The former Sinn Féin TD also spoke about the impact of the electricity system and highlighted privatisation as a factor which has impacted the response.

"The ESB responded very well but it does not have the outdoor staff it had 30 or 40 years ago. The outdoor staff have been depleted and the ESB is dependent on contractors. Earlier today in the Chamber, I heard the Tánaiste listing all the countries from which we have brought in people to help us out.

"We used to have a bigger outdoor staff, which might have better catered to this emergency. With privatisation, we are relying on contractors, who will come if it suits them and will not come if it does not suit them," he said. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Storm Éowyn damage in Mountmellick.

The TD added that the grid needs to be upgraded but some parties in this House are "talking out of both sides of their mouth" in this regard.

"On the one hand, they talk about upgrading the grid, yet they oppose the upgrading of main lines and action on lines that need to be replaced. They cannot have it both ways. We need backup generators in key facilities, including health centres, schools and other places, in order that we can continue to operate. When the storm has died down, we should be able to reopen these critically important facilities," he said.

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Dep Stanley said building standards must be improved and compensation needs to be paid where homes are damaged.