Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

If the Government is serious about saving lives on our roads, the local authorities will need a massive increase in funding for road safety schemes. The RSA recently spent €800,000 on one single television advert for its 30 km/h town campaign which in my personal opinion was a glorified tourism advert for the town of Clonakilty. Yet Kerry County Council only received, again, €550,000 for the entire county to progress road safety schemes in 2024, schemes that will have an impact on our roads.

Money is being squandered on TV adverts that have little or no effect. It would be far better spent by the Frank Hartnetts of Ireland in our county councils to effect real changes on our roads.

I want to pay tribute to the great soldiers and people on the ground working for Kerry County Council, and for local authorities throughout the country. They are the people who are out in bad weather trying to keep roads clear, filling potholes, doing tarring and skirting, laying surface dressing and doing maintenance work on all of our behalf. I want to compliment every one of those people here today and acknowledge their work in wet and inclement weather.

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