Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his further response. He will recall that in our parliamentary party’s discussions on infrastructure the point has often been made that delayed investment frequently costs the State far more, so when the public finances are in a position to provide capacity to do more as a State then that is the time we should be doing it.

The road network is of critical importance from the point of view of everyday living. It is of critical importance from the point of view of jobs and enterprise. In County Cavan alone, 93% of the roads are non-national. By and large, our large and small enterprises are sited along regional and local roads. These are indigenous companies that are providing very valuable employment. Every day they have a truck delayed along a poor road it is costing them money. I remember arguing with others for the advancement of the M3. I got some of the major companies in Cavan to do a survey of the delays experienced by their vehicles on the old N3. The cost delays on roads were causing to business was frightening. The argument is well made that we need additional investment in out road network.

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