Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

We were talking about cutbacks in Government waste, including on FÁS, the HSE and in Departments. We were not talking about what the Minister is doing. He is cutting back on safety and he cannot avoid the issue. If road potholes cannot be filled and if road surfaces are crumbling in every county, town and village, the Minister is making these roads extremely unsafe and dangerous by removing the funding to local government, which it expected. He has failed in his duty of care in regard to road safety. That is a damning indictment of him and his Department.

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