Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I come to the point about the grants system. The local authority is the road authority. If it is an immediate safety issue, it should be addressed first with the council. Primarily, it is a matter for the council. This year, we gave Galway County Council €19.5 million in grants. Of that, €11.1 million was for restoration. In addition, €4.8 million was for discretionary spending on its part. If the local council, as the first port of call, does not regard that amount of money - nearly €15 million - as being suitable for allocation to what the Deputy regards as an emergency, he should be knocking much harder on its door.

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