I wish to raise the lack of funding for Kerry roads on our local improvement scheme, LIS, list. This scheme has been in place for more than 40 years to resurface public roads not in the charge of the local authority. I am talking about public roads, not private roads. To qualify for the LIS, there must be at least two landholdings. I know of several roads that have anything from eight or nine landholdings and five to 20 or more houses.

County Kerry's new 2020 list started out with 707 applications that were prioritised. We got just enough funding to do ten roads last year, leaving 697 more to be done. If we only do ten roads each year it will take 69 or 70 years to complete our list. Our last priority list of 2007 had approximately 350 applications. We were doing fine up until 2012 when the scheme was suspended. I know the Department of Finance is against this scheme because it believes the taxpayer is paying for the surfacing of private roads. We are not talking about private roads, however. These are public roads. The people I am talking about are on public and not private roads.

The scheme was suspended in 2012. After being elected to Dáil Éireann in 2016, I made several representations and requests in the rural affairs committee to the then Minister, Deputy Michael Ring, to reactivate the scheme, which he did in 2017. I thank him for that and for giving us funding to finish off the 2007 programme. From 2007 to 2012, Kerry County Council accepted 118 new applications, which were kept on file and are now also included in the 707 applications on the 2020 list. Imagine applying in 2007 to get your road upgraded. We are still waiting in 2021 and will perhaps wait for several more years.

Will the Government be fair to the people in rural Ireland? Many of these people are elderly, and perhaps sick, and carers and home help workers are trying to get in and out on roads that are in a desperate state. People living on these roads are entitled to a good road to their door, the same as the people in Dublin 4. I say again that these roads are not private; they are public. I know the Department of Finance was trying to stop funding on that basis back in 2010. These people have paid their motor, property and income tax and their insurance. In most cases, they have their own water supply and septic tanks and do not even have broadband. I believe they are entitled to a reasonable road surface to their homes.

First, I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Is it related to the local improvement scheme?

Yes, the local improvement scheme.

My understanding is that a new scheme has been announced with regard to that and the deadline for applications is 26 February. I will ask the Minister to correspond with the Deputy about the details, however. I take on board what the Deputy said about the challenges facing many people in terms of accessing funding for this over the years. The Government has been in office just over six months and has identified investment in rural Ireland as a key priority. That is clear in the programme for Government, particularly in terms of renewing our regional towns and villages and creating hubs of sustainable development. Road infrastructure and investment in roads is key to that as well as the overall issues of infrastructure from broadband to wastewater infrastructure and so forth.

We will be creating opportunities for local involvement in terms of development in rural communities. The additional capital funding was provided this year through the Department in almost every area including road building, particularly minor roads. We will do whatever we can to assist rural communities in County Kerry and across the country to have a faster acceleration and implementation of that programme for the people involved who have been waiting a considerable time to have funding sanctioned. I will pursue that issue with the Minister and revert to the Deputy.

I thank the Taoiseach for his reply so far. Again, I want to make it clear that this scheme was suspended for five years from 2012 to 2017, which is why we have a savage amount of applications now. Some 697 applications are still waiting to get funding. Many of these have been waiting since 2007. I appeal to the Taoiseach. The amount of money we got last year was something in the region of €700,000. That is not enough. Like I said, if we continue in that vein of doing ten roads each year, it will take us 70 years to exhaust the list. That is not fair on these people. They are good, honest, hard-working people who are trying to exist where their fathers before them lived. They want to continue living in these places. They are, however, entitled to a good surface on their road, the same as the people in Dublin 4 are getting. These people should not be left behind. They contribute to this scheme. They pay 20% of the cost and the Department has always made up 80% of it. Do not let these people in rural Ireland down. They vote for the Taoiseach as well as everyone else. I am appealing to him. These people need to be seen after and we need four times the amount of money we got last year to keep up.

The Deputy has articulated a case very strongly on behalf of his constituents and the people of County Kerry. As I said, a new scheme has been announced and I believe applications are due in before 26 February. I will check that and ask the Minister to engage with the Deputy on this matter. I will certainly talk to the Minister about the allocation and whether that can make a meaningful inroad on a serious backlog that has developed over the years because of the suspension of the scheme between 2012 and 2017. I will make further inquiries in that regard.