Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

That is probably what is required. I appreciate what the Minister of State read out and that he is standing in for the Minister. I will give him some examples of where it seems Wexford is being disadvantaged vis-à-vis other counties. This is how rural counties fared in the 2011 road conditioning survey as regards. At that point, the percentage of roads in Wexford to be reconstructed stood at 29%. Other counties with fewer than 10% of roads to be reconstructed received much the same funding. The rates wee 2.6% in Louth, 9% in Limerick, 4.2% in Monaghan, 8.6% in Carlow, and 8.4% in Westmeath. There is another half a dozen counties with rates lower than 10%.

The Minister of State indicated that allocations are as fair and equitable as possible. No, it is not and I will tell the Minister of State why. The director of services and chief roads engineer, Eamonn Hore, went to great lengths in his letter to explain to the Minister where it is not fair and equitable. The regional road per kilometre in the PCI rating - the pavement surface condition index - stated that the national average is 3%. In Wexford, we are at 7.47%. As regards the total local primary road with PCI rating 1 and 4, the national average is 6% and Wexford is at 25.56%. As regards the total local secondary road with PCI rating 1 to 4, the national average is 10% and Wexford is at 38.72%. When we come to the tertiary road with the PCI rating 1 to 4, the national average is 19% and Wexford is at 38.86%. There is nothing equitable about it. I very much appreciate that the Minister of State will pass on a request for a meeting because that is what is required. We cannot continue to bury our heads in the sand and pretend that road conditioning is not contributing to road accidents. It is as simple as this - 30% of Wexford roads need reconstruction. That figure is way above the national average and that has to be addressed.

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