Shane McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Question 63: To ask the Minister for Transport if he will provide a detailed assessment of the €180 million cost for repairing damage caused by the recent weather conditions as estimated by county councils; the details of the cost involved for each county council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13069/10]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I will provide a table setting out the returns received from county and city councils. It covers the estimated cost of the response to the recent flooding and severely cold weather, and of road repairs arising from those weather events. The total estimate is almost €198 million. This information is being assessed by my Department at present.

When deciding on the allocation of over €412 million in Exchequer regional and local road grants for 2010, my priority was to protect the existing investment in the roads network and to target carefully resources to address, on a priority basis, the most urgently required repairs resulting from the extensive damage caused by the recent severe weather. With that in mind, I simplified the grants structure and gave more flexibility to local authorities to direct funding to these priorities.

These grants, which supplement expenditure by local authorities from their own resources, represent a very significant investment at a time when public finances are under severe pressure. They bring the total Exchequer investment in regional and local roads since 1997 to over €6 billion.

Shane McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. The question concerns getting more money, but it is not easy to obtain. Last Saturday, I visited Kerry, which is the last of the counties I have visited over the past three months. The last time I was there was in 1991. People all over the country are saying that they will spend their holidays at home this year, given the value offered by hotels. In addition, improved roads to Galway, Cork, Limerick, the south east and Belfast now have shorter journey times. One can nearly do such journeys in half the time due to the fantastic road network. However, money needs to be invested in a lot of smaller county roads where holidaymakers go. Many accidents take place on these roads.

We have had a good month or six weeks of repair and much work has been done in county councils around the country. Is there anything more that can be done? We have a new Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport; I have no doubt she will do a great job and I wish her well in it. People will be spending holidays at home this year and we do not want to lose any lives because of potholes or bad upkeep of verges on the roads. Can €2 million or €3 million extra be given to each county to make sure our roads are safe, so that when people decide to holiday at home they will come back with only good memories?

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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Like the Deputy, I encourage as many people as possible to take their holidays at home. The answer to his question about whether there is any more money for local or regional roads is that I do not have any more money. I have provided the maximum amount of flexibility and the feedback from local authorities, obtained from my talks with officials, has been positive. They have been given the freedom they need and the system is working well. If the local authorities require further changes within the allocations provided, I will try to be as flexible as possible without compromising other aspects of the roads programme. However, I do not have extra money and I do not expect to.

Shane McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Before we reach the peak holiday time - perhaps in three months time - the Minister might review that.

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I will always be delighted to receive extra money from anybody.

Shane McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Which we will spend at home.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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That concludes Priority Questions.