Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The idea of trying to buy the public when, at the same time, our road network is crumbling at our feet is baffling. Representatives from the National Transport Authority told members at a meeting of the Committee on Transport and Communications in the past 12 months that the authority needs €300 million per year simply to maintain the network. Despite this, the figures that have come out in the report from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport suggest there has been a rapid decline in investment in our road network at national primary level and at national secondary load level, which is perhaps more insidious. This means there are roads in my county and other counties in rural Ireland that are beginning to crumble, especially given the rainfall of the past two months.

Many of us are old enough to remember the men who used to be out on the roads with a shovel. People used to wonder what they were doing. What they were doing, until the service was withdrawn as a result of lack of Government investment, was clearing drains and gullies on roadways to ensure the surfaces were maintained.

I wish we had enough time to bring in the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to answer these questions. These are important questions that are impacting, as we speak, on people living in small communities. I do not believe the Government has either the heart or soul to commit to making their lives better.