Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This year's funding allocation is still €160 million or about one third below the steady-state level required to repair our local and regional roads. The recent audit by the National Oversight and Audit Commission found that 70% of regional roads had some form of structural or surface deficit. Poorly maintained roads are extremely unsafe. They cost lives and cause damage to vehicles. In the long term, they cost much more to the State to repair. Sometimes people consider that regional roads are just outside the Pale. Regional and local roads are the backbone of Ireland's transport network and account for 94% of the road network and 54% of road traffic. They go from Dún Laoghaire right down into the south of Cork and up into the north of Donegal.

Earlier this year, we tabled a Private Members' motion on the Government preparing a response on exactly how it would deal with the National Oversight and Audit Commission report.

How is that report progressing and when will it be published? The Minister needs to do more than liaise with the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe. He should put pressure on the latter to ensure that funding is secured in order that when the report is published, it will be backed with the resources required to implement its recommendations.

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