Tánaiste says 'discussions and debate' are needed around weather warning system

Ottoline Spearman

Tánaiste Simon Harris has said that "discussions and debate" are needed around the weather warning system.

This follows criticism earlier this week of Met Éireann’s system, with Minister for Housing James Browne accusing the forecaster of "holding back on information" when it comes to weather warnings.

Browne said that yellow weather alerts were giving people a "false sense of security".

Cabinet will hold a special committee meeting on floods and storms in the coming days to discuss the matter.

Speaking on Saturday morning in Zagreb, the Tánaiste defended Met Éireann: "[They are] giving the public the best information that they believe is robust and that they can stand over.

"And not all of this falls to Met Éireann. We need to look at how we can pull all of the information that we have together and make sure as much information is put out there as possible.

"The naming of storms yellow, orange, red. I think there is a risk that sometimes we hear so many different warnings that sometimes... yellow can sound more benign than it actually is."

Harris travelled to Zagreb on Friday to meet with the Croatian prime minister and finance minister to discuss the bilateral relationship between the two countries, as well as key EU financial initiatives.