Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the recent allocation of funding nationwide. I particularly welcome the funding for Kerry because is very badly needed. I again call on the Minister, Deputy Ryan, if he is watching, to put some money on the table for the LIS from his Department's budget. He has plenty of money in that budget.

I wish to emphasise some of the figures that Tommy Griffin gave me. I think this matter warrants further scrutiny by the Minister. In the past four years in Kerry, 73 roads were completed for €4.9 million. The average cost per road was €67,256. In the same four years in County Mayo, 242 roads were completed for €4.3 million. The average cost was only €17,656 per road. This matter needs to be examined. The national average cost is about half of the average cost per road in Kerry. Some counties are performing very well. Mayo is performing extremely well compared with Kerry. We need to bear in mind that we have over 600 roads waiting for improvement. If Kerry County Council is only doing only 73 roads in four years for €4.9 million, there is something radically wrong. The departmental officials need to talk to the people in Kerry County Council and bring them on a fact-finding mission to Mayo because these roads need to be improved.

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