Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach did not answer my question seriously. I must point out that 41% of the economic activity in the country is taking place in Dublin. This means the remaining 59% is taking place throughout the rest of the country. As a man from the west and coming from County Mayo, which has the same topography as County Kerry, the Taoiseach should know well that the people of my county are suffering. I want to tell about the Kilcummin Road, on which he travels on his way up and down to his holiday home. We cannot resurface it because we are waiting for the sewerage scheme to be done and we have been waited for that for more than 20 years. The Taoiseach has surely seen the state of that road. A terrible wrong is being done to the people who have made applications under the local improvement scheme. These are public rather than private roads and there are no gates across them. They were built by the local authorities many years ago but they were not taken in charge and these people are being denied the right to have a good road leading to their door.

I must comment further on the hedges. The hedges on the outside of the ditches should be cut along every road. There is plenty of room for the birds and everything else on the inside of the ditches. I would not mind if the hedges on the inside of the ditches all across the country were never cut but the hedges along the roads must be cut for the safety of people walking, cycling and driving. I ask all those in government to put their shoulder to the wheel and ensure that this matter is rectified.

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