Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Mar a dúirt mé, bhí scéim na mbóithre áise ann roimhe do na ceantair Ghaeltachta agus bhí sé sin an-tábhachtach do mhuintir na Gaeltachta chun na bóithre sin a chothabháil. Anois tá na bóithre sin ag dul in olcas mar níl go leor airgead ann faoin LIS. Tá sé níos tábhachtaí anois níos mó airgid a thabhairt chun gach bóthar, sna Gaeltachtaí agus taobh amuigh de na Gaeltachtaí, a chothabháil agus a fheabhsú.

I wish to take up a point in the final paragraph of the response on the cross-Government approach. This is something I suggested previously. I am pleased the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, has progressed it. There is an obligation on the Department of Transport to chip in. It is a large Department with a massive capital budget and there is great scope for it to make a contribution, which would be small in the overall context of the Department of Transport's budget. It would make a significant difference to the local improvement scheme. This is ultimately a transport issue. It is about people getting from A to B by whatever mode of transport they can possibly use, yet the Department is abdicating its responsibility to contribute to the upkeep of the roads. The roads may not be council roads, but they are used by everybody. It is a cop-out for the Department of Transport not to contribute to them. I again call on the Department of Transport to step up to the plate and contribute to the LIS because it makes a difference to everybody. The Department of Transport cannot simply give it to the Department of Rural and Community Development and say it is not its business. That is not in any way the approach the Department of Transport should take on this issue. I call for an increased budget, extra capital from the Department of Rural and Community Development and for the Department of Transport also to give extra capital to try finally to clear the list.

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