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

First, I very much respect the powerful position held by the Minister and I wish him well with it. This idea, however, that he is Minister for Transport but does not really like building roads is not going to work. He saw that last week with the issue in Moyross in County Limerick. He will have to be proactive and understand that we need roads in Ireland. We need a considerable amount of money for the maintenance of roads. There was a €38 million cut last year. We need €630 million to be spent each year in the upkeep of our regional and local road network.

In the county I represent, for instance, I will give the Minister an example of some of the money we will need in the future, which will hopefully be in the term of this Government. The Minister will be presiding over that and over the building of many roads, because they are required. His partners in government fully understand how much they are required. I will give the Minister examples of what we require. In the great town of Killarney, for instance, we need what I call a bypass for the bypass, that is, a road that will take us from Lissyviggeen to Farranfore and give us great connectivity from the new Macroom bypass road and carry us into Tralee and on to Limerick. We needed that to be bypassed and for that road to go ahead.

We need, for instance, money for the great town of Killorglin to relieve the traffic congestion coming from the Iveragh road and to carry out upgrading work on the Laune bridge. We need money to continue further investment in the roads around Kenmare and throughout County Kerry from the Ring of Kerry to the Dingle Peninsula and in mid- and east Kerry. Work has started already on a good project there and we want to see those jobs progressing, proceeding and continuing.

We need money for our local improvement schemes. The Minister should always remember that the most important journey a person living in a rural area must go on is when he or she rises out of the house in the morning and sits in his or her motor car. People will have motor cars for many years to come whether the Minister likes it or not. He knows now this idea of five cars for a village will not work. We want those people living in rural areas to be able to travel on their local improvement scheme road. I ask that the Minister please announce funding for the local improvement schemes as soon as possible.

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