North Meath local roads
Deputy Guirke argued that parts of north Meath are being neglected in road funding and listed local routes needing attention. The Minister asked for the details and cited a new allocation to Meath, while the Deputy kept pressing before being cut off for time.
Councillor Michael Gallagher and I have been raising an issue for years. There was an announcement about roads recently. I have to hand a map of the Kells electoral area with details for the next three years. There are 55 sections of road being worked on, or 1 million km. Eighteen sections of road are being worked on per year. The section from Ballinlough to Ross and Mount Nugent is a huge area. There are five sections of road. The area includes Ballinlough, Crossakeel, Killallon, Kilskeer, Drumone, Moylagh, Ballynacree, Oldcastle, all the way to Ross and Mount Nugent. There are five sections of roads. They are some of the worst in the country. Will the Minister come to visit these roads? I am sick and tired of raising this every year at Meath County Council. We need targeted funding for this. There is no public transport down there. There is no other way to get to work. There are thousands of people employed there.
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We need to do something. I have been trying to address this since I was on the county council in 2014. I have just one more thing-----
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My glasses are good but they are not that good. I ask the Deputy to send me the details. On Tuesday, €25 million was announced as being allocated to Meath County Council for local roads. The overall figure was a 4% increase on previous years. It is important that we maintain what is called steady state quality of roads. If they are let go, they cost more to repair, and there are safety aspects and other issues. I ask the Deputy to send me the details, I will look specifically-----
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Please, Minister. The Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, is hinting at him there.