Ill-informed Dempsey creates a cloud of confusion instead of helping to clear the fog

ONCE again Minister Noel Dempsey has showcased his bungling panache for creating a cloud of confusion whenever he swoops in to clear the fog.

In a badly informed and flippant performance on radio, he has proven his own recently articulated theory to be correct — the country copes just fine when he does not intervene.

With Iceland’s volcanic ash causing problems across northern Europe, the best he could offer was that there would be “real time information” available on Government websites.

If any ash started to fall, as it has in Scotland and Norway, the Government’s Emergency Response Committee, which his department is steering, will inform the public.

“If the ash starts to fall in any great quantities an assessment will be done at that stage. Major warnings will be issued but currently that is not the case,” he said.

Mr Dempsey was even less decisive about health concerns as assessed by the Government’s committee.

First he said there were no health worries.

Then people with underlying conditions needed to be aware of the precautions.

Finally “if the weather conditions changed they [the authorities] might need to change that advice”.

“My advice in relation to this, from a health point of view, the committee’s advice in relation to that is, ahem, there is real time information available both on www.hse.ie and www.epa.ie.

“So if people monitor that, currently, and on an ongoing basis, they will be made aware of any dangers that will arise.

“We are not anticipating any dangers. If that changes then the committee, obviously, that will be brought to the attention of the committee and the committee will make it available to the public urgently,” he said.

Yesterday’s effort on RTÉ radio to reassure the public in the wake of the volcanic eruption in Iceland revealed a man who is far more comfortable inspiring derision than he is making proper decisions.

He was flummoxed when RTÉ’s Sean O’Rourke asked him what was the committee members’ advice if ash did start to fall — he was unaware of any.

“No I don’t know what their advice is because it doesn’t arise, Sean,” he said.

Mr O’Rourke suggested “maybe you should be thinking a little further ahead”.

Mr Dempsey assured him “that is why the committee is in place”.

The best hope Mr Dempsey could offer was that some agency would warn people if there was cause for alarm.

“There is no indication at the moment [that there will be problems]. If the wind changed, if the weather conditions changed then that might actually change.

“But at the moment we shouldn’t be trying to create a scenario where people are going to be terrified,” he said.

Meanwhile in Cork, Mr Dempsey’s boss, Taoiseach Brian Cowen, was more forthright about the contingency plans if the ash cloud lingers — there are none.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen said the Government did not have a plan in respect of acts of nature and did not know what would happen if the travel chaos was to continue for several weeks.

“You don’t have a plan in respect of an act of nature such as this,” he said.

“The basic point is that you only allow people to fly when it is safe and unless and until it is you can’t compromise on that.”

Mr Cowen said the Government would be taking the advice of professionals to ensure the safety of aviation passengers.