Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

With regard to the figure of €42 million, that is not additional money but money already allocated. Local authorities have more flexibility in how they can use it. They have a right to use it in a discretionary way. They requested this discretion in order that they could prioritise emergency repairs over restoration works. I have also allocated an extra €2.7 million, particularly to deal with drainage issues which present a big problem on rural roads. I acknowledge that we are not able to allocate enough funding for roads to maintain them to the standard we would like. This is because budgets have been cut centrally in the Department but also because local authorities have cut their budgets considerably. It should be borne in mind that local authorities receive two thirds of motor tax revenue but do not have to spend it on roads. They should put more of it into road maintenance. In the next budget and at Estimates time I will make the point strongly to my colleagues that while roads are, by and large, in very good condition, there are parts of the country where they are starting to deteriorate and we will need additional finance to repair them.

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