Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I certainly will bring the difficulties the Senator has outlined to the attention of the Minister and will also raise them at tomorrow's management board meeting. As the Senator knows, when the allocation for local government is made, there is an expectation that some local authorities will not draw down the full amount and that the surplus arising as a result can be reallocated to those authorities which may require it as a consequence of circumstances such as he has outlined. As it stands, we are looking at a €2 million overrun and are hoping that some funding will not be drawn down by other local authorities. As a member of a local authority for many years, I am in complete agreement with the Senator that there will always be unforeseen events and emergencies. In Mayo, for example, we often had to deal with floods, landslides and so on. An option that might be available to Waterford County Council would be to reallocate any funding that has not yet been drawn down for identified roadworks in order to deal with the current crisis. The departmental officials have confirmed to me that the situation there is very serious, with roads in very poor condition. I agree that something must be done and will convey that view to the Minister.