David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his very positive response, and also for visiting the area around that time, as other Ministers did. That was really welcome. The Minister of State touched on a number of issues in his response. One is the issue of safety. If roads are in a very bad condition, and if they are crumbling, falling away or subsiding, safety is a huge issue. I ask the Minister of State to stress that when he is talking to people in his Department about this. He also mentioned the economic and social issues. Obviously, people have to make a living. They have to go to work, school or go about their business. If the road is in rag order and their car gets damaged or destroyed beyond use, then that causes its own problems.

Bridges are another issue. There are some private bridges there that are damaged very badly but also public bridges, and they are unsafe. They need to be addressed as well.

I asked the Minister of State whether Cork County Council had, at this stage, put in an estimate. I understand that it has put in an estimate, that it has asked for a certain amount of money, and that the actual estimated works are finished. It has actually looked for something in the region of €15 million or €16 million. I understand that the estimated cost of repairs has been determined at this stage. I cannot understand, four months on, why the Department is still waiting and looking at this.

Can the Minister of State let me know later on - and he might check it out himself if he has not been told - whether the council asked for a specific amount of money from the Department to repair the roads? I understand it is between €15 million and €16 million. Also, I agree with what the Minister of State said with regard to next year, 2025. Such is the scale of the damage, that this is going to go on for a number of years. The council cannot do it all in one year. If it got all the money this year it could not spend it because it does not have the manpower or resources to do it. However, it does need more than it got, or at least double of what it got - at least that, if not more - to try to bring the place back up to standard. If we do not, it is going to get worse than what it is, and the place will come to a standstill. Lives could be at risk as well, which is of paramount importance.

I thank the Minister of State for his positive response, and I encourage him to continue, as I know he will, fighting for this extra allocation so we can get the roads back up and running to a high standard.

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