Manus Boyle (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for coming in today. I am asking the Minister to provide funding for the low-cost accident scheme or a capital funding scheme to address a serious speeding issue in the village of Fahan in County Donegal. Fahan is on the Inishowen Peninsula, which is a beautiful part of Donegal. It is a seaside town with a beautiful view over Lough Swilly Over the years there have been numerous accidents in the village of Fahan. Thankfully, none have been fatal. Due to the way the village is laid out, cars and lorries go fast through the village. We need to get more done by the authorities to improve the situation and make drivers aware they are coming into a town. More signage is needed. A pedestrian crossing needs to be put in place as a matter of urgency because pedestrians are walking along the side of the road and are crossing the road here, there and everywhere. There is also an issue with noise pollution for the residents. I ask the Minister of Transport to prioritise the village of Fahan for a plan to slow traffic down with traffic calming measures. This is a beautiful wee seaside town. It just needs a bit of help. They have great residents committees there and they want to enhance their town. It is to be hoped we could get something in place. I know this is an issue in more towns than just Fahan. There is speeding going through a lot of towns and it is something we need to have a look at.

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator Boyle for raising the matter. He has painted a wonderful picture of being in Fahan and I have been there in the beautiful Inishowen Peninsula. The Senator is right; it is a picturesque, beautiful spot. The point he makes regarding the low-cost accident scheme is an important one we need to embrace and I thank him for raising the matter.

As the Senator knows quite well, the improvement works scheme when it comes to local grants and regional roads is part of the Government 2025 regional roads programme. The Government is strongly committed to it in terms of protecting and enhancing the existing road network. This network is fundamental in connecting people and places throughout the country, in particular in Donegal. The Senator is right to highlight the issues of safety in Donegal and the depth and breadth of the county and its geographical scale. The regional roads programme facilitates business, education, tourism, healthcare, agriculture and the provision of critical services and activities.

It is important to highlight that, in accordance with the Roads Act 1993, the improvement and maintenance of the regional and local road network is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in this case Donegal County Council. Works on these roads are funded from the council's own resources and are supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is a matter for the local authority.

Ireland's regional and local road network spans more than 96,000 km and requires significant funding to ensure it remains fit for purpose, safe and resilient, as the Senator has rightly outlined regarding Fahan. As such, this year €713 million was allocated to regional and local roads. Due to the vast scale of the network, the Department of Transport employs an array of grant types to target investment across the regional road network. Within the budget available, State grant funding is allocated on as fair and equitable a basis as possible to ensure that 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 road within a local authority’s area, with additional funding based on contributing factors in specific areas. This year, more than €13 million has been allocated specifically under the safety improvement works grant programme to regional and local roads for 339 schemes in the State, while a further €12.3 million of the specific improvement grant programme was allocated to road improvement schemes related to road safety. This year, Donegal County Council has been allocated €649,500 for 14 schemes under the safety improvement works grant programme. According to the Department’s records, an application has not yet been received from Donegal County Council for funding safety improvement works in Fahan.

It is the case that Donegal County Council is legally responsible for ensuring its network is maintained and improved. The Department approach 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 maximum delivery of results. Indeed, the initial selection and prioritisation of maintenance and renewal works is a matter for each local authority and Donegal County Council is the first point here. 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.

I will have a word with Department officials regarding the matter Senator Boyle has raised because he is right. Like Senator Murphy O'Mahony's issue, it is about being creative and ensure there is flexibility in terms of low-cost accident scheme funding. It is important we support our road network being maintained and protected. At a time when we see people being killed on our roads, it is important we redouble our efforts in a variety of ways and one of these is road improvements, so I thank the Senator for raising the matter.

Manus Boyle (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State. It is one of the issues that keeps coming up all the time with people phoning from Fahan about the speeding issue, so we decided that we would raise it. It is on the peninsula and it is very close to Derry so there is a lot of traffic going and coming, especially on the weekends as there are a lot of holiday homes on the peninsula Anything we can do to help the situation would be greatly appreciated because the last thing we want to have is an accident. We are here to prevent accidents and to try to get them sorted before they happen.

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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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.

Manus Boyle (Fine Gael)
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I have it.

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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The Senator has it. The gremlins have been overcome.