Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. I cannot emphasise enough that the increases the Minister has given us are welcome but do not match the increase in costs allied to the damage done by rainfall over the past 12 to 18 months. We are not sufficiently protecting the investment that has been made over recent years because councils are not able to carry out adequate programmes. I appeal to the Minister to provide an additional allocation to local authorities this year in order that they can do more than they originally planned under the February allocation.

This is about protecting the investment of taxpayers and ensuring that people, regardless of where they live, have a road of a proper standard to their homes, farms or places of business. The Minister is well aware that in Cavan and Monaghan most of our industry, businesses and commerce is situated along the non-national road network. Thankfully, in the past two years there has been an increase in business and employment and we want to ensure that we facilitate more employment and people living in rural communities.

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