FF TD criticises 'lack of leadership' in cold crisis

One of the Taoiseach's constituency colleagues said there has been a lack of leadership in the response to the big freeze.

Laois-Offaly Fianna Fáil TD Seán Fleming said the fact that the chair of the emergency response committee is not a senior civil servant shows this.

Mr Seán Hogan - who leads the response to emergencies such as the snow or flooding - is a prinicpal officer in the Department of the Environment.

But Mr Fleming said that if the Government was really serious the position would be held by a much more senior official.

"A committee like this should be chaired by somebody at secretary general level," he said.

Mr Fleming however insisted his comments were not a criticism of Mr Hogan.