Use of agency gritters spiked during cold snap
The cost of gritting the roads during severe weather in the Northern Division over the last three years was 237,050.
But the number of agency drivers shot up from 5 in 2007/8 to 9 in 2008/9 to 43 in 2009/10 - largely as a consequence of the extreme cold snap we experienced in the latter year.
Roads Minister Conor Murphy explained:
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Hide Ad"My Department's Roads Service supplements its in-house drivers with drivers sourced through an external contract, to deliver its Winter Gritting Service.
"This contract is awarded through a competitive tendering process to ensure value for money."