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Lord Dubs writes for ePolitix.com ahead of his oral question on the cost to the National Health Service due to icy weather.
The NHS has to deal with all casualties and clearly there was enormous pressure on A & E departments during the recent icy weather when roads and pavements were hard to negotiate.
The cost of extra salt or grit would almost certainly be less than the cost to the NHS of treating icy weather related accidents. While I am not suggesting this, if local authorities had to pay for the healthcare resulting from un-gritted roads and pavements they might build up larger stocks of these commodities - to be cost effective.
My plea is simply that local authorities should be encouraged, even helped, to ensure they have larger stocks of grit in case this winter's cold spell becomes more typical in future years.
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd