Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I share Senator O'Donovan's concern about the continuing lack of media attention on the fishing industry and fully endorse his welcome for the new RNLI station in Castletownbere. My wife, who is a native of the town, was present for the historic moment at which Senator O'Donovan was also present. She was not representing my interests but happened to be in the town.

Yesterday, at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications, representatives of the City and County Managers Association pointed out that current Government funding for the maintenance of our local and regional road network, as distinct from the motorway network, is running at 50% below requirements. The meeting heard that without a significant increase in the funding allocation for local authorities, Irish taxpayers will pay an enormous long-term cost to reconstruct roads that have been neglected for years. We will return to the position that obtained in the 1980s when the Government of the day, due to the recession, wilfully neglected the road network. As Senators, especially those who served previously in local government, will be aware, it took almost two decades to restore our local road network and make it fit for purpose. Will the House have an opportunity, prior to the Estimates being decided, to debate this issue, which affects every man, woman and child in the country, with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government and the Minister for Finance? While road restoration may not be a sexy subject, if the local and regional road network continues to deteriorate to the extent outlined by the County and City Managers Association, we are in for a difficult time.