Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

On my behalf and that of Deputy Hogan, I wish to thank all those who contributed to the debate on this matter. The first matter we must address is what actually happened during the Christmas period. We must also examine what is the public perception in that regard. Regardless of whether the Minister for Transport, Deputy Noel Dempsey, was in the country, it did not appear that anyone else was in charge. The cold snap had been ongoing for almost two weeks before the national emergency response committee was convened. A fundamental charge relating to a lack of interest, concern, authority and leadership can be levelled at the Government in respect of this matter. There is no doubt that this charge has proven to be true. The response of the Government was completely inadequate and came too late.

There is a reason Government's response, particularly as it related to the road network, was not good enough. In budget 2009, an allocation of €607 million was made in respect of the road network. However, in April of last year the Minister, Deputy Dempsey, imposed a cut of €200 million. As a result, local authorities did not have the funding necessary to carry out repairs to scores of country roads that were damaged as a result of the recent freezing weather.

The local and regional network plays an important economic role and fulfils valuable social and community functions. Some 94% of all roads are either regional or local roads. They carry approximately 60% of all traffic and 43% of all goods traffic. Let us examine the cuts the Minister introduced in April of last year.

First, he made a cut of over €80 million in the restoration improvement programme for regional and local roads. Over a year ago, the local authorities, the Minister and his Department recognised that there was a significant problem with regard to our local and regional roads. However, funding for the restoration improvement programme was cut by one third or over €80 million. The second cut was one of €18 million in respect of strategic regional and local roads. In total, the budget relating to regional and local roads was cut by €173 million. In light of this reduction in the level of funding, it is no wonder that the roads could not be maintained and that the position relating to them has reached crisis point.

Reference was made to Third World countries. Roads in many rural areas have completely disintegrated and that has a significant and adverse impact on local economies. There are a number of issues which obviously cannot be addressed this evening but they must be dealt with in the future. Questions arise with regard to land use planning, rural development and planning general. If local economies are closed down because it is not possible to negotiate the roads, if people's properties have been flooded, if farmers cannot get around their farms or if workers cannot travel to their places of employment without be obliged to make massive detours, then it is obvious that the Government has not shown leadership in the context of dealing with this issue.

The Minister for Transport was obliged to make the appalling cuts to which I refer last year and to cut the budget again this year as a result of the structural deficit that exists on foot of Fianna Fáil's mismanagement of the economy over many years. In recent years it has been joined in that mismanagement by the Green Party. It is time we changed the way things are done. A new planning system must be put in place. Notwithstanding what the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Finneran, stated earlier, I was not aware that the Government had any proposals to tackle the crisis relating to our country roads.

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