Lorraine Higgins (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Coming from rural Ireland, the Minister of State is aware of the major issue of privately owned roads and the way they have been maintained. It is important that they are maintained to remain safe and fit for purpose for all road users, pedestrians and motorists alike. The cost of maintenance is incredibly expensive and far beyond the owners' ability to pay. In 2013, a private road servicing family homes in Killarney, County Kerry, cost an estimated €75,000 to repair. I am sure the Minister of State agrees this is a colossal amount for an individual, group or family to cover for access to property. While privately owned, such roads are often used by the public. Council schemes to tar and chip these roads have been discontinued, leaving owners adrift facing mounting and financially crippling costs for roads that are essential to their livelihoods. This leads to privately owned rural roads falling into disrepair, with potentially dangerous and restrictive consequences for those who use them. I know of four farm families in Galway East who have limited access to their farmland so that they can go to work and earn a livelihood. It is having a detrimental impact on their lives and the situation is clearly unfair to owners of privately owned roads.

I appreciate that county councils are very stretched financially in providing for the existing public road network and are not in a position to cover the costs that might be involved in repairing these roads. For that reason, I ask the Minister to introduce a generous road improvement scheme to fund private roads and improve road safety throughout the country. It would offer much-needed relief to the owners of these private roads and those in rural areas who rely on them.