Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for her response. I commend her on all the work she is doing. I welcome the €7.7 million allocated to my county, Kerry, over the past six years. It involved 173 roads that previously were not done, which is important to the residents and farmers using those roads. For those people, they are the most important road there are. There are hundreds more roads that need to be done. While 25 roads this year is very welcome, it will take many years to clear the list at the current rate. That is why I want to ask the Minister if she will engage with our local authority. My understanding, from previous responses I have received from her, is that Kerry County Council has received everything it looked for in recent years. Is it, therefore, a question of the local authority's capacity to do more roads in the year? That is part of the problem and why it will take so long. The Minister is also looking for more funding. I raised this with the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan, when I met him recently at our parliamentary party meeting and asked that for every €2 the Department of Rural and Community Development chips in, the Department of Transport chip in at least €1. That would, for example, bring the budget this year from €30 million to €45 million and would deliver a huge number of roads all over the country. That question of capacity and the ability of the local authorities to do more is very pertinent for County Kerry because, at the current rate, with the Minister acknowledging that her Department is giving everything it is asked for, the council will take years to clear the list. Many people are waiting.

See this speech in context