Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)

I thank the Senator again for raising the matter. He is right. It is a piece of road where there is a lot of traffic going to Derry and on the weekends it is very busy. I reiterate and join him in his final comment by saying it is the duty of us all to uphold road safety and make sure the roads are safe. I assure him the Government is fully committed to the protection and renewal of the road network. I will bring Senator Boyle's contribution back to the Department and I ask him to consider talking to Donegal County Council about its responsibility for maintaining and improving its regional road network and it can prioritise Fahan. Regarding Exchequer funding, the Government is committed to renewing and protecting our road network under the national development plan. A total of €5.35 billion has been allocated until 2030. I hope we can work with Donegal County Council to ensure we can prioritise investment in our regional and local roads, in particular in the Fahan area. I think all of us combined will work together to ensure funding is provided for safety improvement works in the area Senator Boyle referred to and I will raise the matter with Minister, Deputy O’Brien, who conveys his apologies for not being here this morning. I also apologise for the non-availability of the script due to a breakdown.