Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I might address the second issue the Senator raised on another occasion. The interconnector is critical infrastructure that is vital for the economy, North and South.

To return to the key issue we are addressing, we must recognise that the maintenance, development and improvement of local roads are critical to local economies. As the Senator said, we have to avoid the prospect of all the work being bookended to the end of the year when we will be facing into Christmas to ensure towns are not shuttered because roadworks are only able to take place then. I hope councils will be able to organise the business in the long days ahead of us in the spring and summer months. I am very supportive of investment in road programmes that restore and protect the centre of towns, improve the public realm and provide small bypasses and detours so that we adopt one of the key economic and social programmes for this Government, namely, putting town centres first, in County Monaghan and elsewhere in the country.