Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The condition of roads in west Cork is in an appalling state. As we head into June, I have people from Castletownbere, Skibbereen, Clonakilty, Bandon and Schull telling me that they have had serious damage done to their cars due to shocking roads. Almost three years ago, Cork County Council carried out an independent report, by the All-Ireland Research Observatory, AIRO. It proved the shocking lack of funds being allocated for years to Cork County Council by successive Governments. The report states it would take 52 years and extra funding of €750 million to bring roads in County Cork up to the same rate of funding as other councils receive.

This report showed that out of 215 national approved rural regeneration funding projects, only three came to south-west Cork. The area also has the lowest number of schemes funded under the urban and village renewal and local improvement schemes. This independent report is clear evidence of a massive shortage of funding in County Cork while Fine Gael councillors in west Cork blame everyone except their own party. Will the Taoiseach meet with the mayor of Cork County Council and council officials immediately to discuss the AIRO report and start to put right the wrong that has been done to Cork County by successive Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil-led governments over decades on our road conditions?

See this speech in context