Shane McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

The figures show that the Minister is spending almost €500 million less but the damage involved is enormous. Limerick City and County Councils are facing a bill of €2 million in relation to damages, while the figure for Carlow County Council is €7.5 million. The figure for our county is €2.4 million, while it is €2.5 million for Westmeath. The Minister and other Deputies from County Meath along with those from every other country are aware that the available staff are being curtailed at the moment, regardless of any money the Minister allocates. They cannot do overtime or take on extra help. The Minister must give the go-ahead immediately to allow for the repair of all the roads at once and not curtail what we anticipate will be, hopefully, a better summer at home for our tourism trade.

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