Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Minister is more than welcome to the House. It is great to have the opportunity to discuss this issue with him in the Chamber. I ask that he ensures necessary funding is put in place for Cork County Council under the national regional road improvement scheme. I am very much aware that a delegation from Cork County Council, including Councillors Michael Hegarty and John Paul O'Shea, is meeting officials from the Minister's Department and the Minister of State at 2 p.m. today.

As the Minister will be aware, Cork is a huge county with more than 12,200 km of road. Some 12% of the island's road network is based in the county. Reports have been published, which show that counties such as Limerick, which has 3,430 km of road, receives more than €10,000 per kilometre. Kildare, which has 2,372 km of road, receives €11,600 per kilometre. Cork, despite having 12,220 km of road, only receives €6,000 funding per kilometre. This is a significant issue in terms of having a suitable pot of money to cover the amount of road required.

There is a road resurfacing programme in Cork. Only 2% or 2.5% of the roads will be resurfaced per year, which means that some people will have to wait 50 years to get a road resurfaced. The constituency I live in starts in Ringabella Bay and goes all the way down to Ardgroom, a distance of more than 200 km, which takes me just over two hours to drive. Distances in our county are a huge issue. We need a pot of funds to be put in place to make sure that the huge infrastructural issues we have with our roads can be addressed and that roads can be maintained and upgraded.

We have a public transport system, some of which is good and some of which is bad. Some of it needs good roads to travel on and unless we have good roads we will not have the public transport system that is required.

I am very much aware that the Minister was asked on RTÉ about the Bandon southern relief road. It is a major issue. It is required due to the articulated trucks driving down the main street of the town. They have no other option. Those driving trucks from Cork to Clonakilty have to go through the main street. It is Government policy that we are trying to ensure relief roads are completed so that villages and towns can breathe. Bandon is the largest town in Cork South-West and needs to breathe, and the only way that can happen is by completing the relief road and getting trucks and a significant volume of cars - up to 30,000 cars a day - out of the centre of the town.

There is exceptional frustration due to the fact that there has been no real movement on this issue over the past few years. A sum of €150,000 was allocated to the project last year, but that will not pay for the stamps in respect of what is required. The Minister and I have been friends over the years. He needs to see what is happening in west Cork and the infrastructural problems we have. He needs to see what is happening in the town of Bandon, in particular, which needs investment to ensure that it can breathe. A significant volume of roads need to be maintained. Resurfacing one road every 50 years is not viable. We need to have the funding that is required.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I thank Senator Lombard for the question. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this important topic with Members. I understand the Senator's question relates to the current system of funding allocations for the protection and renewal of the national and regional local road network, with a particular emphasis on the Cork region.

As he will be aware, and as outlined in the 2024 regional and local roads programme, the Government is strongly committed to protecting the existing road network. This network is fundamentally about connecting people and places across the country. It facilitates business, education, tourism, healthcare, agriculture and the provision of critical services and activities.Its protection is vital for road safety.

At this point, it is important to highlight that the construction and operation of national roads is a matter for TII in conjunction with the relevant local authorities. Funding for national roads is allocated in line with the national development plan. On the other hand, the improvement and maintenance of the regional and local road network is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in accordance with the Roads Act 1993. Works on these roads are funded from a council's own resources and are supplemented by State road grants.

Ireland's road network spans over 102,000 km and thus requires significant funding to ensure it remains fit for purpose, safe and resilient. As such, this year €444 million was allocated for national roads projects, while an additional €658 million was allocated for regional and local roads. Of this funding, Cork county is in receipt of €56 million for national roads, as well as over €83 million to fulfil the council's statutory responsibilities in maintaining local and regional roads. This €83 million is intended to supplement realistic contributions from the local authorities' own resources.

Due to the vast scale of the network, my Department employs an array of grant types to target investment across the regional and local network. Within the budget available, State grant funding is allocated on as fair and equitable a basis as possible to ensure all local authorities are in receipt of funds to maintain their networks. The allocation of the three biggest Exchequer grant types for regional and local roads is based on the length of the roads within a local authority's area, with additional weighting based on contributing traffic factors in specific areas. The rationale for this approach is that it is objective, avoids onerous administrative and monitoring burdens and, critically, avoids any perverse incentives that might arise if another basis were used. For example, providing higher levels of Exchequer funding where road quality is lower could create a disincentive for local authorities to devote own-resource funding towards achieving a high-quality network. As mentioned, each local authority is legally responsible for ensuring its network is maintained and improved.

This approach also means that, while central government is supplying significant funding, we are acknowledging that local authorities themselves are best placed to make determinations in their own areas for the maximum delivery of results. Indeed, the initial selection and prioritisation of maintenance and renewal works is a matter for each local authority. There is flexibility within the State grant programme for councils to direct resources to address particular problems identified on their networks as they see fit.

In summary, my Department recognises the importance of funding provided to local authorities for the renewal and protection of the road network. This funding helps to maintain a functioning, safe, interconnected network that facilitates thousands of people in their day-to-day activities. As such, in 2024 my Department committed over €1.1 billion to support our national, regional and local road networks. The allocation of this funding to individual local authorities is made in as fair and equitable a manner as possible.

Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I thank the Minister. Cork has one eighth of the roads in Ireland, so one would expect it to get one eighth of the funding. This would be the normal breakdown of funding required. The scale of the county is an issue in that it is massive. Its roads need to be repaired, as the Minister knows, and very many minor roads need funding. Consequently, we need a special funding block put in place for Cork county.

Let me refer to the infrastructure problems, such as the one related to the Bandon relief road. Towns like Bandon need to have Government policy work for them. We must not have lorries going down the main street of Bandon because we cannot finish the 2.5 km relief road, which was started 22 years ago. Unfortunately, that is where we are at.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I take the point. As the Senator knows, I know west Cork well. I have roots in the area. I am aware of the great benefit that comes from taking traffic out of the centres of towns. One might say west Cork, more than any other area, has benefited from its towns. The character of a town like Clonakilty, Bandon, Bantry, Skibbereen or Dunmanway is its great strength, so I fully agree towns should not be swamped with traffic.

There is a myriad of demands. We have increased demands because of the increasing effects of climate change. The Senator, more than anyone else, and the people of Midleton and Glanmire will know the implications in this regard. We are committed to providing Cork County Council with all the resources it needs to restore roads damaged by floods and improve protection measures. Last year's allocation to Cork for the local road network was €83 million, which I believe represented an increase of over €11 million on the allocation for the previous year. The Senator is absolutely right that Cork has a very dense network of local roads and that it is the largest county, but the allocation is made on a scientific basis and does not disfavour any one county. Where a county is hit by climate events, as Cork was last year, it is a case of ensuring that we support it. We will continue to do that.