asked the Minister for the Environment if he accepts that there has been a rapid deterioration in the surface condition of main and country roads due to a reduction in real terms in block grant allocations by his Department; and the action, if any, he proposes to take to deal with this serious problem.

I do not accept the contention made in the question.

Regarding main roads, I consider that the standard of maintenance of national roads is generally satisfactory. The standard of maintenance of other main roads is some what less than satisfactory in some areas.

The maintenance of county roads is entirely a matter for county councils acting as road authorities.

Regarding the financing of roads, the cost of maintenance of national roads is virtually financed in full by the Exchequer. Between 1979 and 1983, Exchequer expenditure under this heading increased by 14 per cent in real terms.

The block grant allows local authorities a wide discretion in the determination of their annual programme of works. The block grant is a supplement to the provision made from the local authorities' own resources — including the rate support grant — for the improvement, maintenance and management of non-national main roads, for improvement works on county roads, and for traffic management measures on national roads. In recent years, in addition to the block grant, special grants have been provided for strengthening works on non-national main roads. Between 1979 and 1983, total expenditure by local authorities on the maintenance of non-national main roads decreased by 3 per cent in real terms. Of this expenditure, the portion financed directly by the State by way of block grant or special grant increased by 11 per cent, while the portion financed by local authorities from their own resources — including the rate support grant — decreased by 14 per cent.

State road grants were never payable in respect of the maintenance of county roads.

Is the Minister aware, as asked in the question, of the deterioration in the surface condition of these roads?

I think I gave my opinion under the headings of both main and county roads.

Is the Minister aware that due to the inadequate funding being made available from the central authority who now provide 80 per cent of the moneys available to local authorities in this area, very substantial numbers of road workers have had to be made redundant by local road authorities because they had not sufficient funds to continue to employ the road workers and that in County Galway the figure exceeds 100? In previous years these people were working away busily keeping and improving roads. That can no longer be done and the consequential effect is the roads are falling into disrepair and breaking up.

Again I can give the Deputy details of the money spent on roads since 1976 if he wishes, and I can demonstrate the increase that has occurred in the block grants over those years. The Deputy cannot really believe what he is saying when he says that moneys have not been provided when in each year there has been an increase and in some years a considerable increase over the previous year.

Would the Minister also take into account the effect of increases in labour costs and material costs? Is he aware that the county roads reconstruction costs in 1971 were £1,500 per mile and in 1982 they have been estimated by Galway County Council to be £30,000 per mile? Is the Minister aware that surface dressing costs in 1971 were £400 per mile and in 1982 were £7,200 per mile? Is the Minister aware of these massive increases in costs and that his allocations are not keeping up with them with the result that the whole system is breaking up?

As I indicated to the Deputy the State provided an 18 per cent increase while contributions from local authorities reduced by 30 per cent between 1979 and 1983. That is the reason why roads are in such a bad condition and are deteriorating. Local authorities are not providing the money out of their own funds.

Will the Minister agree, irrespective of the figures he has read out for each county council, that the moneys allocated to the councils given the rate of inflation, wage increases and the increase in the cost of surface dressing, are not sufficient with the result that the maintenance programme is falling down? County councils are just employment agencies. The whole network is breaking down. County roads need to be put in a proper state of repair rather than money being wasted by sending county council workers out to throw a few loads of clay here and there. That is a waste of money and resources.

Will the Minister agree that the condition of the roads as he has described did not arise today or yesterday but is as a result of an accumulation of the problem over a number of years and might be said fairly to date back to the policy of Fianna Fáil in 1977 in abolishing the normal rating procedures of local authorities?

The Coalition are in Government and they have to face up to their responsibilities.

The Deputy has been saying plenty but he should let us get the answers.

I am too polite to put it that way.

Will the Minister accept that the priorities in regard to expenditure on roads are determined in his Department? Is the Minister aware that in the recently published programme for capital expenditure the cost of some of those works is listed indicating the Minister's priorities? Will he agree that the indications are that his priority in the next few years is the allocation of £51 million to build a bridge across the Shannon? Nobody will be left on the other side of the Shannon and there will be no need for the bridge if the Government do not set about repairing the road network in the west. It is the priorities in the Minister's mind that are causing the problem. He is allocating all the resources to major capital works.

It appears that I will not be able to get it across to the Deputy that there is a responsibility on local authorities to provide from their own funds money for works on minor country roads and some main roads. There has been a big decline in the amount of money allocated by local authorities and an increase in the amount of grants from the State. The Deputy will not take that on board and if he is not prepared to do that I cannot help him.

I should like with the permission of the Chair to raise on the Adjournment the question of the safeguarding of the State's investment in Storage Technology, Finglas.

Is the Deputy repeating the request he made yesterday?

Yes.

I will communicate with the Deputy.