Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

If the Minister for Transport or any other Minister has to tell a local authority that it must keep its roads from being potholed it does not say much for the members of the local authorities concerned. In fairness, most of the local authorities take their responsibilities seriously in this particular area. There is always a dilemma at this time of the year regarding roads that are damaged, and particularly potholed. There is always a problem after a severe spell of frost. It does not even have to be as bad as the 27 days we experienced recently. I recognise that the Deputy referred to potholing but this is not a suitable time for full scale repairs. If local authorities throw some tar and chippings into the potholes, which wear away in a few days, they are accused of wasting money. A balance must be kept. I am not being facetious when I say that it is inevitable that not every road will be of a high standard, particularly at this time of year. From a road safety and a car maintenance point of view, motorists need to drive at a speed appropriate to the road conditions.

With regard to the other points the Deputy raised, to my knowledge and recollection all the money allocated to local authorities for road repairs was spent. There is no doubt that some road deaths are caused by road conditions, whether of the road surface or otherwise. I make the same plea to people to drive at an appropriate speed.

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