Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan. The subject matter that I wish to discuss with him is one that we discussed here some time ago. I have also discussed it with many of his colleagues in recent times. I refer to the absolute necessity for the provision of emergency funding to address the serious deteriorating condition of local and regional roads across the country.

The Minister of State and I come from rural Ireland. We know the importance of local and regional roads. For many of us, they are the only show in town. Many of us have no choice but to get into our vehicles and travel on these roads. Unfortunately, engineers with Monaghan County Council and Cavan County Council have stated that many such roads in the two counties are almost impassable because they are in such bad condition. In addition, the incessant rainfall we have experienced in recent times means that many of the roads have deteriorated to such a degree that they are, as stated, almost impassable.

Counties Monaghan and Cavan have many indigenous industries that are located on local and regional roads. Those industries need these roads to be in good condition so they can transport their goods from A to B. People going to work in the mornings, dropping their children to school or whatever have to travel on these roads day and night. The roads as so bad in many locations that not only people's vehicles but also their mental health are being affected. We must also take into account the danger of people swerving to avoid potholes.

The funding allocation for roads is welcome but, unfortunately, it falls way short of what we need to address the serious conditions of the roads. I spoke to an engineer recently who told me that in 2016, it cost in the region of €81,000 per kilometre to drain roads and resurface them with tarmac. It is estimated the cost of the same work now is €186,000. That shows the rate of inflation relating to the cost of the materials, oil, etc., needed to repair roads. Unfortunately, the allocations that we have received to date have been unable to keep pace with inflation.

I have raised the issue of roads several times, but I again plead with the Government to do something to address it. Recently, I spoke to a local councillor in Monaghan who told me that he had received a phone call from a bereaved family who were expecting the remains of their loved one to come home. A female member of that family was on the phone crying and asking the councillor if he could ask the council to fill in the potholes before a hearse took the remains of their loved one home. That shows how bad and desperate the situation is. If I were to stand here from now until 6 p.m. trying to explain to the Minister of State how bad the situation with the roads is, I would probably undersell it. Local authorities and their crews are doing their best to patch up roads. That is only a sticking-plaster solution, however. Proper resurfacing work is required. If we delay taking action, the billions of euro that have been spent on local and regional roads over the past ten or 15 years will have been for naught. We have no control over the climate but we have control over the roads budget. I plead with the Minister of State to immediately allocate funding to address this serious issue.