Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It was good to hear the Minister talking about trains and rail services but the people of County Kerry do not have many trains, apart from the one from Killarney to Mallow. For the most part they are reliant on cars and motor vehicles to take them around the county and to bring them in and out of it. In the last number of months, the ponding of water has become a serious problem on county, regional and national secondary roads and even on the national primary road at Glenflesk. Does the Minister have contingency or emergency plans to deal with the ponding of water? It is a serious issue affecting the health and safety of people who travel on our roads. It is a severe risk. Many of the inlets where the water should be going are closed up. I ask the Minister to liaise with the local authorities - we have been asking them and it appears they do not have the funding - with a view to giving them more funding to specifically deal with the problem of the ponding of water on the sides of our roads. Cars have to swerve out but if there is a car coming against them they cannot do that. It means they drive into a pool of water, it goes over the roof of the car and they cannot see where they are. They are hitting ditches and it is a problem at present. It is a fine day in Dublin today and it was a fine day here yesterday but it poured out of the heavens in Kerry yesterday and it is pouring out of the heavens in Kerry again today. It is like we are in two different worlds. There is a serious problem down there.

I apologise to Deputies Troy and O'Keeffe. I realise it is mostly the same question.