Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

It is very hard to keep up with the poetic qualities of Kerry Deputies. There are a lot of allocations going on at the moment, including €1.8 million to the N70 Creamery Cross to Kenneigh phase 2 paving scheme that is under way, the Blackwater Bridge to Sneem project, the Waterville to Ballybrack project and improvements to the N72 between Tralee and Dingle. A total of €13 million-odd has been allocated to Kerry County Council. We have met with TII and made it clear we want to deliver and implement stronger road improvements because they are important and tourism is important.

Kerry needed access to wider economic activity. Access matters to trade and connectivity. The whole south-west area has always been seen as an economic entity in itself. If the Cork-Kerry road is improved, it reduces peripherality, enables people to get goods to market quickly and enables people to visit places much more quickly, which is beneficial to the economy and to social life. It also facilitates health access and a whole load of things. We take the Deputy's point and will work on it.

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