Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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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.

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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Go raibh maith agat, Seanadóir Ó Gallchóir, as an gceist ábhartha seo.

I understand that the Senator’s question is on the provision of additional emergency State funding to local authorities to undertake repair and upgrade works on the local and regional road network in light of excessive rainfall in recent months and other climate change factors. Some of the issues he highlighted really are very challenging and they are reflective of the position in other parts of the country.

As Senator Gallagher is aware and as outlined in the 2024 regional and local roads programme released on 15 February, the Government is strongly committed to protecting the existing regional and local road network. This network is fundamental in connecting people and places across the country. It facilitates business, education, tourism, healthcare, agriculture and the provision of critical services and activities in every county.

The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on these roads are funded from councils' own resources and are supplemented by State road grants.

Ireland's regional and local road network spans over 96,000 km. The network requires significant funding to ensure it remains fit for purpose, safe and resilient. As such, €658 million was allocated in respect of regional and local road grants in 2024, with approximately 90% of this funding being directed towards maintenance and renewal works. This funding supports local authorities in fulfilling their statutory responsibilities.Due to the vast scale of the network, the Department of Transport employs an array of grant types to ensure investment is targeted across the network, from supporting scheduled maintenance works to funding climate adaption projects which aim to build resilience in the road network against severe weather events we are experiencing. Ireland has experienced several severe weather events this winter, including Storm Babet, Storm Ciarán, Storm Debi, and Storm Elin. Furthermore, in recent months, Ireland has endured higher-than-average rainfall across most of the country. We all know that. It is sunny out there today but certainly it has been really bad this winter. Heavy rainfall has led to widespread flooding in certain areas as well as damage to parts of the national, regional and local road networks. Unfortunately, such severe weather is becoming all too frequent.

The Department emphasises to local authorities each year the importance of setting aside a contingency fund to manage events such as severe flooding and storms. Where practical, the Department also works with local authorities to reprioritise grant funding within their works programme when needed and following incidences affecting the network. All Exchequer funding for the regional and local road programme for 2024 has been allocated at this time. However, each county council can liaise directly with their assigned departmental engineer inspector to discuss any unforeseen road deterioration in their region. The Department is fully committed to working with local authorities and helping them reprioritise work programmes as needed in order to retain a safe road network for everybody.

In summary, the Minister for Transport recognises the importance of funding provided to local authorities for the renewal and protection of the regional and local road network. This funding helps to maintain a functioning, safe interconnected network that facilitates thousands of people in their day-to-day activities. As such, in 2024, the Minister for Transport committed over €658 million to continuing grant support for the regional and local roads network. The Minister places huge value on this network. This Exchequer funding is intended to supplement realistic contributions from local authorities’ own resources. As the statutory road authorities for their areas, it is open to local authorities to prioritise investment on their own regional and local roads.

Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State. There is no doubt that the adverse weather conditions have had a detrimental effect on our local and regional roads and the Minister of State accepts this. I understand and accept that €650 million has been allocated towards the road network but it is simply not good enough. I appreciate that the Minister of State has been handed his statement by the Department of Transport. However, with respect, the time for talking about this is over. I have raised this at numerous Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party meetings. I have raised it directly with Deputy Micheál Martin, who said he is going to liaise with the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, on the issue. I am sure the Acting Chairperson will fully agree with me on this. The time for talking is over. We need an emergency fund to address the condition of our local and regional roads. To put it mildly, it is not fair that we expect our citizens to travel on some of these roads on a daily basis. It is simply not good enough at a time when our economy is thankfully performing well and we are able to put billions of euro away for a rainy day fund. This is a critical issue that needs addressing. I repeat that the time for talking is over. I respectfully suggest that the Minister of State go back to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, with the message that as far as we are concerned in rural Ireland, we need investment in our local and regional roads because they are the only show in town for us. As I said in my opening contribution, we cannot control climate but we can control the budget and the allocation. I am pleading with the Minister of State, respectfully, to take that message back to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan.

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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I will, absolutely. As I stated at the outset, however, it is the function of the individual local authority to prioritise the funding and where the allocation goes, and to work with the Department in respect of particularly unforeseen circumstances such as the weather events we have spoken about and in terms of road repair or maintenance that could be impacted by the severe weather or rainfall events which unfortunately we are having all too often.

In addition to this, the Minister has allocated over €16 million from the climate change adaptation and resilience grant to build resilience into the road network and mitigate against future events. There is additional funding there. Monaghan County Council was allocated over €17 million this year for the maintenance and improvement of regional roads, and that was an increase of €840,000 on the 2023 allocation. It is quite significant. I absolutely appreciate the point the Senator is making about the additional cost per kilometre of road resurfacing, particularly in connection with oil prices, which are driving the increase. It is important that local authorities work with the Department to ensure the resources they are allocated are used wisely and where they are needed, particularly where there are significant challenges such as where weather events have caused erosion of road surfaces and potholes. The case the Senator pointed out was challenging for that family.

I have an additional list of some of the specific projects in Monaghan that were allocated funding in 2024, for specific grant improvement schemes. They add to the additional funding that has already been provided to Monaghan County Council. I will give a commitment to go back to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and speak to him about this specifically. I think probably what we are looking at is a sustained investment in our roads programme given the challenges being faced across the country, for which local authorities are picking up the tab, particularly due to weather events.