Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I absolutely agree with the Deputy. There is a key safety component to this, in addition to the wider issues around the social, economic and community infrastructure. We appreciate the Deputy raising this, and the Government is fully committed to restoring our road networks after the impact of this storm. The vast interconnected network is used by cars, buses, trucks, vans and cyclists, and is essential for connecting people, businesses and communities.

We know that the road network suffers deterioration due to severe weather and climate effects. This damage can be caused by excessive rainfall, fluctuating temperatures, erosion of embankments and retaining structures due to tidal and river flow and severe weather events. In some instances the damage can be significant, resulting in the infrastructure becoming impassable, as the Deputy has mentioned, until it can be repaired and reopened. It can impact on strategic lifeline roads serving hospitals, schools and population centres, with very few or no alternative routes.

For this reason, my Department, along with TII and other local authorities, is continuing to work towards enhancing the resilience of the road network in these rapidly-changing conditions and with severe weather events. Under the relevant roads programme, the Government is committed to the protection and renewal of the country's roads, with funding each year being provided to support important work in areas such as strengthening works, bridge rehabilitation, safety measures and draining works. That is why the national roads grants programme included approximately €56 million in Exchequer funding for Cork County Council.

The regional local grants programme has displayed our commitment to restore our critical infrastructure. Cork County Council has been allocated €13 million of the €22 million under this, specifically. There is ongoing engagement with TII on the national roads and their repair and on the local and regional network in the context of what the Deputy outlined with Cork County Council. There will be ongoing engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform on these matters.

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