Teresa Costello (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister of State for attending. What prompted my raising this matter is something that many of us have likely experienced, namely seriously poor road services. To be clear, I am not talking about general wear and tear or the occasional pothole; I am referring specifically to roads and footpaths that have been dug up by utility companies to carry out necessary works, which is understandable, but that are then left in a patchy, uneven and basically unacceptable state. From what I understand, when a utility company opens up a road or a footpath, it is required to reinstate it; initially with a temporary surface and then, after a settling-in period, works to ensure a complete and permanent reinstatement must be carried out. I understand that timeframe in this regard is approximately six months, but I would welcome some clarification on the exact obligation involved. Just last week, I drove from Tallaght village to my mother's house. It is a really short trip that takes barely two minutes when traffic is light. For a brief moment, I honestly felt like I was riding a horse, not driving a car, because the road was so bumpy. I counted no fewer than 18 poorly reinstated sections along the short stretch of road in question. It is not an isolated case. On my way to work this morning I passed another patch of road that has been in poor condition for a considerable period.

All of this makes it hard not to question whether the utility companies will return to complete the permanent works required or if their standards are far below what is acceptable. What official agreements are in place for road and footpath reinstatement after works carried out by utility companies? Are there specific standards that must be adhered to and, crucially, who is responsible for enforcing these? This issue deserves proper scrutiny, so I propose that an audit be carried out in respect of the reinstatement works done by utility companies. Being parochial, this audit should begin with Tallaght. It is time we took a closer look at the standard of works and issued instructions, where necessary, to correct substandard reinstatements.