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

The Minister is always welcome to County Kerry and so is everybody else. I ask that they please bring their money there and spend it. We could do with it. In spite of everything the Minister said, there has been an overall cut of €200 million in our roads budget. Those projects were shovel ready. The land acquisition and everything was in place. They were ready to go to tender when they were cut. I am asking on the record that the funding be restored in order that those projects can go ahead.

I remind everybody that at the insistence of the Minister's party when it went into government, €1 million is being spent, seven days a week and 365 days a year, on cycleways and walkways. I am not complaining about that. I am not saying it is wrong. I am saying I would like for some consideration to be given to motorists. The cyclist is very important but so is the motorist. Motorists are usually in a hurry to get from one place to another in order that they can roll up their sleeves and go to work. It is work that keeps the economy going. It runs everything. We need people going to work. We cannot tell them to walk or cycle. I appreciate the extra buses. I really do. However, the bus might not be suitable for everybody because it might not be able to take people from their door to work.

I am making a heartfelt plea to the Minister to take on board what I am saying. I am not fighting with him. I am just asking him to restore the money.

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