Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I can again sense the Deputy's frustration. I will personally do as she asks and write a letter to the Minister, Deputy Shane Ross. I will also contact Galway County Council. We did write to it to tell it that the road did not for qualify for funding under the local improvement scheme. To be fair, I introduced the scheme. I facilitated road access to community facilities to try to accommodate people such as those about whom the Deputy is talking. It is not easy for local councillors to obtain funding and they were not able to undertake big jobs such as the ones I undertook. That is why I set up the scheme and allocated €17.4 million for it last year. If the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport got together with mine, we might be able to provide for a bigger scheme. We must begin to look at the public roads such as the one to which the Deputy referred to see what can be done to support the people she has highlighted.

See this speech in context