Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Like Deputy Danny Healy-Rae, I am not here to bash anybody. However, as politicians, we are getting a serious bashing with regard to our roads, particularly in west Cork. If we want to create employment and bring jobs to rural communities, we need good roads, but the roads in west Cork, to be honest, are in an appalling condition and have been for quite some time. I am talking about the main routes. Local area engineers have been working very hard to repair many of the local roads that were seriously damaged last year but the condition of the main routes into west Cork, the N71 in particular, is worse than scandalous. The journey from Clonakilty to Skibbereen, which should be a 20 minute drive, could take 45 minutes because if there is a lorry or tractor on the road, one is held up behind it for the whole way. We need simple passing bays and I have suggested that in a meeting with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, and members of Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, recently. Passing bays should be considered and they are not being considered. We are looking for simple solutions. I am here to urge the witnesses to look at simple solutions for west Cork and to consider bigger solutions as time goes on.

How do the witnesses determine what area gets funding? Why have we been left at the very tail end of any funding? We get a little bit of repair money if a road collapses, as happened in Ballydehob last year. It was almost six months before the road was repaired. One section of it was closed off and there was not one day when my phone was not hopping with people wanting to know what I would do about it. Overall, why are we not on the map, as such, when it comes to serious funding for our roads - the N71 serving Innishannon, Bandon, Clonakilty, Skibbereen and Ballydehob and the R586, serving Bandon, Dunmanway, Drimoleague, Bantry and Castletownbere? These are roads that need investment if we are serious about trying to open up rural Ireland for business. I would appreciate it if the witnesses would answer some of those questions.