Linda Nelson Murray (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----and we need people to stand safely while waiting for the bus. I encourage the Minister of State to seek extra funding for the provision of bus stops, particularly in smaller villages in Meath West.

I wish to discuss our roads. I thank the Minister and Department of Transport for the €26 million that they recently provided to Meath for regional and local roads. However, it seems that we have a significant problem with potholes. In 2024 alone, Meath County Council paid out €55,000 in compensation for cars because of potholes, an increase of €13,000 on the previous year. What is even more concerning is that we paid out €530,000 for public liability claims in 2023. There were 290 claims, of which 270 were for potholes and footpaths. The road I have been living on for approximately 15 years has never been resurfaced in that time. Three times a year, craters open up on the road. The council comes out and fills these large potholes, but it is obvious to me that rural roads need greater funding and attention. Right now, most of our reporting on roads is done from councillors and public to the council, but perhaps we need a roads safety manager whose job it is to identify roads with problems and link in with the engineers. I am sure we will be delighted to set up such a pilot scheme in Meath.

I thank the Minister of State for attending and look forward to hearing his thoughts on all these matters.