Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the additional investment made in the local and regional road network. Following the poor weather conditions many roads were left in a terrible state. People pay their motor taxation and deserve to have investment made in the road network. Will the Minister confirm if most or all of the €50 million was spent on emergency repairs, potholes and channelling on roads? Is an electronic asset management system in place for roads or is that the responsibility of each local authority? A new asset management system is being established for Irish Water and also in the case of electricity and gas networks. Our road network is an asset. In regard to maintenance, data must not recorded electronically and shared and measured. Coming from a rural constituency where there are many secondary roads I am well aware that where such roads are repaired but not the drainage, it is highly likely that they will have to be repaired the following year after the next heavy rainfall. As the water has no place to go it will lift the surface and the channels will reappear. The Department needs to adopt an overall co-ordinated role to encourage local authorities to manage the asset better rather than throw money at repairs when it should be proactively engaging in an asset management and maintenance system.

Were low cost safety schemes considered in regard to the €50 million or was it purely for repair? In many local authority areas, there are still many low cost safety schemes in the application process, for example, for dangerous bends and crossings that require investment. Is there any news of investment on that front?