Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not disagree with the Senator. I have met officials from the Department of Transport over the last number of weeks as part of my introduction to my current role. As a former member of Monaghan County Council the Senator will probably agree with me that a major issue is that our local authorities over the last number of years, even when they did have money, did not carry out adequate drainage. One can find roads all over the country on which good money was thrown after bad. Roads are crumbling, as the Senator said, because the water literally has nowhere to go.

One of the issues that I was very keen to deal with as a councillor and now, having been appointed as a Minister of State in the Department of Transport, is that local authorities must also take responsibility for many of the problems, especially on our regional and local roads which are due to the fact that there is no drainage of any description. Drains have not been maintained since the famous man with a shovel was going around, and until we get back to a situation of being able to allow water drain off our tertiary, secondary and regional roads, we will continue to have this problem. I would much prefer to see a proper drainage network that would take the water off our roads rather than, as the Senator said, to watch our road network crumble. I will certainly take on board the points he has made. I will relay them to the Minister for Transport. Much of what he said is what I would say myself, and I do not disagree with any of it.