The Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, has defended the Government's handling of problems arising from the recent cold weather snap.
Speaking in the Dáil during a Fine Gael Private Members motion on the water shortages, Mr Gormley said the Government managed to keep all national and public service routes open at all times during the cold weather.
These routes, the Minister said, carry 60% of national traffic.
He said the Government had managed to amass a ten-day supply of rock salt which compared favourably by international standards.
He also defended the work of the statutory agencies and local authorities for what he called their active and sustained response.
The Minister repeated that local authorities would have to find funds for road surface repairs from their own existing budgets.
