Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Work on these roads is funded from councils’ own resources and supplemented by State road grants. The Department emphasises to local authorities each year the importance of setting aside a contingency fund to manage events such as severe flooding.

Following Storm Babet, the prompt restoration of the road network was essential from a safety perspective as well as for maintaining key social and economic connections. Last year, my Department provided an additional €350,000 to Cork County Council to begin some emergency rehabilitation works to facilitate the opening of some key roads for access to schools and communities. Cork County Council sought additional financial support to assist in carrying out its duty as the road authority. Last November, my Department received an initial estimate of remedial road costs. Earlier this month, though, Cork County Council revised its costs downwards for works to be carried out on the impacted infrastructure in 2024. My Department has committed a further €13 million to the council this year. This amount aligns with the council’s current and substantiated funding request for works. As of now, the Department has not received a full cost of all works to be conducted in 2024. It takes time to fully assess damage and the associated remedial costs.

We are committed to assisting Cork County Council – from within resources, where possible – in managing essential repair works, especially the opening of key roads and bridges, as well as investing in future-proofing our road networks to help reduce the probability of such damage recurring. In addition, I understand that Cork County Council has been in contact with TII regarding the impact of Storm Babet on the national road network and that TII is reviewing the matter.

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