Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I support the motion, although I agree with other Deputies that its wording is very conciliatory and should be much stronger in calling for investment in our local and regional roads because that is vitally important. It is true that over the past eight years since the recession started, funding for local and regional roads has been slashed across the board. This very short-sighted policy will lead to increased problems into the future in terms of our road network. There is evidence that this is already happening. Many of the surveys that have been undertaken have flagged that massive investment is required to bring our roads back to a reasonable condition. It is important that this is done.

When the funding for regional local roads was announced a couple of weeks ago, much was made of the fact that there had been a 9% increase in funding. However, when one drills down into the figures, the increase in funding in relation to my own county of Donegal is only 1% and there has been a 42% reduction in the specific improvement grant for County Donegal, which means that areas within the county identified over many years as problem areas cannot be addressed. For example, we have been trying to have Fintra Bridge replaced for many years. Based on the current level of funding, the council will never be in a position to replace it. Unfortunately, most of the bridges in Donegal will have to collapse before they will be dealt with and it is strange that when bridges do collapse, funding can be made available to replace them. Many communities see this as the only basis on which infrastructure will be repaired or replaced.

The funding provided this year to Donegal County Council will allow for the improvement and restoration of approximately 3% of the road network in the county, which means, as others have pointed out, that it will take 30 years to address the issues throughout the road network in the county. This is not acceptable. As I said earlier, all we are doing is storing up problems for the future. We will hit a crisis point in the next couple of years such that investment will have to be made because otherwise roads will become unusable. This is the legacy of the crisis and the recession. There is much talk about recovery, keeping the recovery going and things turning around but in terms of funding for our roads, there is little evidence of any recovery or things turning around. Funding must be restored so that local authorities can put in place a realistic programme of renewal for our local and regional roads.

During the negotiations on the formation of the minority Government, much was made of the fact that the local improvement scheme was to be reintroduced in 2017 but that has not happened and it is unlikely to happen. As pointed out by Members, local improvement schemes are vitally important to families and individuals living in rural areas who cannot afford to maintain the lanes on which their houses are located. The local improvement scheme, by way of grant aid, enabled those people to improve the lanes and maintain them in a reasonable state. If we do not invest in the maintenance of the road network to a reasonable level, we will see into the future a continued and accelerated deterioration of the network such that significant investment will be needed to return it to a reasonable state.

Donegal County Council previously operated on an eight-year cycle in terms of the repair and restoration of our county roads. Local authorities should be able to expect funding from Government to enable them maintain our roads in useable condition. It makes far more financial sense to provide an adequate amount of funding to allow for the maintenance of roads on an eight-year cycle basis. This would ensure that all county roads are maintained in reasonable condition. As I said, there is no doubt that we will face a crisis in the future in relation to our local and regional roads and that we will have spend a hell of a lot of more than the Government has been allocating to date.

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