Seanad debates

Thursday, 7 April 2022

Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters

Road Network

10:30 am

Photo of Robbie GallagherRobbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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Before I start, I wish to compliment the Cathaoirleach on his contribution to the joint sitting of the Houses yesterday. I also compliment the others who contributed. It was a moving day and our hearts go out to the poor people of Ukraine. Bualadh bos duit.

The serious issue of the continuous underfunding of roads over the past decade has been raised on an almost monthly basis by councillors in Monaghan, Cavan and many other parts of rural Ireland. In Monaghan, Councillors P.J. O'Hanlon and Seamus Coyle in particular have consistently raised the issue of the underfunding of local and regional roads.

Unfortunately, we in County Monaghan do not have any multinational, so it has been down to the good people of the county to create their own employment through indigenous enterprises in agriculture, including agrifood, and engineering. It is a unique situation, given the number of small enterprises that are located up boreens and small local roads that are connected to regional roads. These local and regional roads are essential so that businesses can get their goods to the marketplace.

Like many other counties, Monaghan and Cavan are unique in the large proportion of their populations living in rural areas. Many people, including parents taking their kids to school in the morning and people travelling to and from work, are travelling on substandard roads. While those roads have received funding, the amount of which has increased in recent years, that funding is not adequate to address the roads' condition. Monaghan has had no rail service since 1958, so the road network is the only show in town for people who have to get to and from their workplaces and for their social needs.

While I welcome the increased allocations, we will get fewer kilometres of road done throughout Ireland because inflation in the cost of materials is on the rise. The Government needs to take this point into consideration.

These small enterprises are dependent on the road network to get their goods and supplies to and from the marketplace. The road network is also critical for communities in getting from A to B. In many cases, roads are the only show in town. There is no doubt that increased funding is a must. We have been calling for it for years. Funding was cut in previous years, and while I am glad that the allocations have increased recently, much more needs to be done.

I welcome the Government's announcement on the local improvement scheme, LIS, two days ago. A total of €11 million has been allocated across the country, but it is inadequate to address the situation at hand. For example, County Monaghan will receive €351,000 while Cavan will receive €371,000. In Monaghan, there is a list of 131 lanes to be done. Some of them have been on what's called an historical list since 2005. While we are grateful for the €351,000, it will only do approximately five lanes. There are 13 people on the historical list who will be waiting the guts of 20 years to get their lanes done. That is not good enough. I welcome the funding, but this is another illustration of how more needs to be done. For rural Ireland, there is no other show in town. We have no rail or Luas. We need the local road network to get by.

Photo of Malcolm NoonanMalcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis on Seanadóir as ucht an cheist seo a ardú. I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan. The Senator made a good case for small enterprises in County Monaghan. Such SMEs are just as critical to our economy as the multinationals. They provide employment for small numbers of people - five to ten employees - and this has a positive knock-on effect on families, employability and rural development in their areas. The Senator also raised the issue of inflation, and while the LIS is welcome, it will never cover what is needed across the country. It is always oversubscribed.

The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on these roads are funded from councils' own resources, supplemented by State road grants, where applicable.

The major cuts to funding for regional and local roads during the post-2008 recession resulted in the build-up of a substantial backlog of works across the country, which the Senator referenced. The estimated cost of the backlog is in excess of €5 billion. Due to the pressures on regional and local road networks, approximately 90% of available Exchequer grant assistance to local authorities for regional and local roads is being directed to maintenance and renewal works. This is vital.

While funding is not at a level that would allow the backlog of roadworks across the country to be addressed, there have been significant increases in Exchequer grants for regional and local roads in the recent years. The 2022 allocation for regional and local roads is approximately €597 million - €46 million in current expenditure and €551 million in capital expenditure. This represents an increase of approximately 46% compared to 2017.

The main regional and local road grant programmes are targeted at the following specific policy objectives: pavement sealing to protect the road surface from water damage under the restoration maintenance grants; road strengthening based on pavement condition rating to lengthen the life of road pavements under the restoration improvement grants; and a discretionary grant that allows for a range of activities, including pothole repairs, edge strengthening, renewal of signs and lines, and winter maintenance. These three grant programmes account for most of the grant funding and are allocated based primarily on the length of the road network in a particular local authority area.

Within the available budget, the Department's grant funding for the maintenance of regional and local roads funding is allocated on as fair and equitable a basis as possible to eligible local authorities. In this context, grants in the main grant categories are allocated based on the length of the road network within a local authority's area of responsibility, with some account taken of traffic. It is envisaged that grants will continue to be made available on this basis.

Basing regional and local roads grant allocations on road conditions could result in an uneven distribution of Exchequer funding. For example, local authorities that allocate higher levels of own resource funding to regional and local roads will have a larger proportion of roads with a higher condition rating than those with lower levels of own resource funding. Basing allocations on road condition could, therefore, disincentivise local authorities from allocating own resource funding to roads maintenance.

The Department appreciates that, within the overall parameters set for the grant programme, local authorities might need to target funding at particular problem areas and there is sufficient flexibility in the structure of the grant programmes to allow for this. It is also open to each local authority to allocate its own resources to priority areas. In this context, the Department has supported the development of a road asset management system for regional and local roads – MapRoad - to provide the data needed for each local authority to manage its network as effectively as possible, including the prioritisation of works for inclusion in its maintenance and renewal works programme. The road pavement condition information generated by the MapRoad system forms the basis for the National Oversight and Audit Commission's performance reports each year.

While this reply does not entirely satisfy all of the questions raised by the Senator, I hope that he appreciates this year's increased allocation for local and regional roads.

Photo of Robbie GallagherRobbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. By all means, I welcome any funding that is provided to a local authority, as it is needed. I have made the case for many counties in rural Ireland, but particularly counties Monaghan and Cavan.

In many ways, it is a false economy not to keep roads at a certain standard. If adequate funding is not allocated to local authorities, the road network will get worse and it will ultimately take more money to repair it. The Minister of State can appreciate that there is a case for increased funding. For counties like Monaghan and Cavan, roads are the only show in town because there is no other mode of travel. It is essential that they be maintained to an adequate level. I ask that the Minister of State take that point back to the Minister.

An invitation has been issued to the Minister by the elected members of Monaghan County Council to visit the county and see at first hand the black spots in question. If the Minister of State also passed on that invitation on my behalf, I would welcome it.

Photo of Malcolm NoonanMalcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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I will speak to the Minister about that. It would be useful for him to see the situation at first hand.

The LIS is a useful scheme but, as I have seen across the country, including in my own county, it is virtually impossible to clear the backlog.It is huge. However, the point is well made that it is supporting many small enterprises in rural areas that are critically important to the rural economy. It is important that solutions are found at a local level. Again, the responsibility is down to the local authority. There is a significant increase in capital moneys from the Department, but I am sure the local authority will be innovative in trying to find solutions at a local level. I will pass on the Senator's request to visit the county and have a look at the conditions first-hand to the Minister, Deputy Ryan.

Photo of Eugene MurphyEugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit agus Seanadóir Gallagher. It is an important issue. The next Commencement matter is in the name of Senator Boylan. The Minister of State will be at home with this one.