Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Tá Bóthar Dhoire Fhearta ag síneadh idir ceantar na n-oileán agus ceantar na Ceathrú Rua.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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Just a second. Excuse me a second while I put on my headphones.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I will stop the clock.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Go raibh maith agat. Tá Bóthar Dhoire Fhearta ag síneadh idir an bóthar ó Bhéal an Daingin siar go ceantar na n-oileán agus go Casla agus an Cheathrú Rua. Tá daonra ollmhór sa gceantar sin. Tá thart ar 3,000 duine siar uaidh. Tá go leor daoine ina gcónaí ar an mbóthar féin agus ar mbóithríní a gcuireann isteach air. Is bóthar fíor-thábhachtach é sa gceantar sin. Tá thart ar 5,000 duine ag conaí i gceantar na Ceathrú Rua féin, ainneoin nach bhfuil an sráidbhaile an-mhór. Is ceantar scaipthe tuaithe é, le dlús mór tithíochta tógtha ar an seanbhealach Gaelach. Lonnaithe ar an gCeathrú Rua, mar shampla, tá bunsheirbhísí do phobail iardheisceart Chonamara ar nós an briogáid dóiteáin, an t-otharcharr, dochtúirí, meánscoil don cheantar uilig, bunscoil, coláiste tríú leibhéal - rud nach bhfuil ann taobh amuigh de na bailte móra in aon áit eile sa tír, agus, ar ndóigh, na coláistí Gaeilge, maraon le tionscadail eile.

Tá trácht nach beag ar Bhóthar Dhoire Fhearta. Suas go 2008, bhí caoi á cur ar an mbóthar de réir a chéile. Bhíothas chun é a leathnú agus bhí cosáin coisithe á gcur isteach ar thaobh an bhóthair. Stop an obair ansin agus níor tharla tada ó shin. Tá an pobal áitiúil ag déanamh agóide le tamall fada anuas go gcuirfidh feabhas agus caoi ar an mbóthar agus go leathnófaí é le go mbeadh cosáin coisithe ann don iliomad duine a bhíonn ag súil ar an mbóthar sin mar gheall ar an méid sholáthar oideachais atá sa gceantar.

Tá thart ar 160 slat, nó 150 m, den bhóthar atá ag titim isteach agus atá éirithe thar a bheith contúirteach. Ní féidir leis sin fanacht ar chistíocht ó chistí eile. Teastaíonn cistíocht phráinneach le caoi a chur ar an mbóthar seo. Tá mé ag iarraidh ar an Aire déanamh cinnte go gcuirfear airgead ar fáil le caoi a chur ar an bpíosa seo den bhóthar go práinneach sular dtarlódh timpiste. Bíonn go leor busanna scoile ag teacht ar an mbóthar agus tá an contúirt ann go dtitfidh an bóthar isteach ar leataobh sa gclais, mar is éard atá ag tarlú. Tá an contúirt ann go dtitfidh an bóthar isteach sa gclais. Má tharlaíonn sé sin agus bus ag dul thairis, d'fhéadfadh timpiste mhór tarlú. Gan dul rófhada leis an scéal, tá an pobal ag iarraidh airgid - airgead beag sa gcomhthéacs náisiúnta - le caoi phráinneach a chur ar an mbóthar agus le déanamh cinnte go bhfuil an bóthar sábhailte. Is é sin an méid atá uathu - bóthar sábhailte le taisteal air chuile lá. Is bóthar réigiúnach é seo, ní bóthar áitiúil é. Is eocharbhóthar é sa gceantar atá i gceist.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy for his very eloquent advocacy for this village regarding the issue of the road which he says is in such bad repair. I take his point about the area and its large population of 5,000 people, about the fact that the repairs were stopped up to 2008 and that it is obviously an important road in an area that contains an Irish college, a fire service and schools. He said that the community has been protesting for the past five years - certainly for a long time. I am aware that there have been meetings on the matter in recent weeks, which has probably sparked the Deputy's renewed interest in it.

I understand that the road in question connects Carraroe to the Connemara islands. As the Deputy knows, the maintenance and improvement of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from the local authority’s own resources, supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is a matter for the local authority. As regards grants provided by my Department, allocations are made at local authority level and the distribution of grants to municipal districts is a matter for each council. It is also open to each local authority to prioritise the allocation of its own resources to address road issues in particular areas.

Before the financial crisis, to which the Deputy referred, local authorities could apply on a regular basis for specific grants for schemes costing less than €5 million and for strategic improvement grants for schemes costing more than €5 million with a view to strengthening, widening or realigning regional and local roads. However, the extent of the cutbacks in grant funding during the crisis meant that these grant schemes had to be curtailed from 2013 because expenditure on maintenance and renewal was falling well short of what was required to adequately maintain the regional and local road network.

The capital plan for the period 2016 to 2021 provides for the gradual build up in funding for the road network, but it will take many years to reach the level required for the adequate maintenance and renewal of the network. For this reason there continues to be very limited scope for funding projects under the specific grant programme. Any projects proposed by local authorities for consideration under this grant programme are assessed by my Department on a case-by-case basis, with particular consideration given to higher-cost bridge rehabilitation works, significant safety schemes and improvement works that promote employment.

All projects proposed by local authorities for consideration must comply with the requirements of the public spending code and the Department’s capital appraisal framework. It is important for local authorities to prioritise projects within their overall area of responsibility with these requirements in mind. It is, therefore, for Galway County Council, as part of its budget and road programme planning process, to assess the condition of the road and what works might be needed taking into account its overall priorities.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas don Aire as an éisteacht chomh cúramach sin leis an méid a bhí le rá agam. Ar an gcéad dul síos tá sé ceart go leor a rá gur ceart don chomhairle contae airgead a chur ar fáil as a chuid foinsí féin. Tá fíor-áthas orm go bhfuil an tAire Tithíochta, Pleanála, Pobail agus Rialtais Áitiúil tagtha isteach. Deirim an fhírinne nuair a deirim go ndeir Comhairle Chontae na Gaillimhe go bhfuil siad bánaithe, nach bhfuil pingin acu agus go ndearnadh éagóir orthu in 2014. Admhaím nach raibh an tAire sa Rialtas ag an am sin, ach bhí páirtí an Aire Tithíochta, Pleanála, Pobail agus Rialtais Áitiúil ann. Mar sin, is beag is fiú dúinn mar ionadaithe poiblí bheith ag féachaint sa treo sin.

An dara rud ná is éigeandáil é seo, is rud é a tharla gan choinne le mí anuas. Cuireadh airgead ar fáil ón Rialtas i gcóir éigeandálaí eile ar fud na tíre, mar shampla i dTír Chonaill. Céard atá chomh dona sin faoi Chonamara nach féidir cás eisceachtúil éigeandála a dhéanamh mar a rinneadh i dTír Chonaill?

Dúirt an tAire go bhfuil spéis as an nua agam san bhóthar seo. Is mé féin mar Aire a chuir an t-airgead ar fáil a chur chaoi ar an mbóthar suas go 2008-09. Ní raibh mé mar Aire Gnóthaí Pobail, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta ina dhiaidh sin – bhí mé i Roinn eile. D’fhág mé cuid den obair libhse; ní fhéadfaimis gach rud a dhéanamh.

An bhfuil airgead ar fáil anois le haghaidh scéimeanna suntasacha sábháilteachta, agus an obair a dhéanamh go práinneach áit a dtarlaíonn éigeandáil ó thaobh cúrsaí aimsire agus mar sin de, mar a tharla i dTír Chonaill? Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghlacadh don Aire as ucht deimhniú ó thaobh airgead na mbliana seo chugainn, mar tá sé ar bharr an liosta ag Comhairle Chontae na Gaillimhe go gcuirfear airgead ar fáil don bhóthar seo.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I would like to respond as specifically as I can. It is a bit difficult to judge, just on the basis of the Deputy's word, how big an emergency this is. While I do not doubt him for a second, I cannot compare it with Donegal without having first-hand experience of that to which he is referring. However, I know it has been a problem for a long period and may have been exacerbated in recent times.

I apologise to the Deputy if he took the inference about this being a new interest in the wrong way. I know he has been interested in the matter for a long time. It is simply that it is the first time since I got this portfolio that I have come across his interest in it. It is new to me, even if it is not, obviously, new to him.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Bhí mé ag caint le-----

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I come to the point about the grants system. The local authority is the road authority. If it is an immediate safety issue, it should be addressed first with the council. Primarily, it is a matter for the council. This year, we gave Galway County Council €19.5 million in grants. Of that, €11.1 million was for restoration. In addition, €4.8 million was for discretionary spending on its part. If the local council, as the first port of call, does not regard that amount of money - nearly €15 million - as being suitable for allocation to what the Deputy regards as an emergency, he should be knocking much harder on its door.