Go raibh maith agat a Cheann Comhairle agus a Thaoiseach táim ag fiosrú faoin gcruth ainnis ar bhóithre áitiúla i gCo. Chorcaí.

A massive issue that locals constantly raise with me is the poor condition of the local road network. There are numerous potholes and council workers are running back and forth from road to road filling them. It is really difficult for locals, who have been paying motor tax, to use a road that is not fit for driving on. Cork County Council gets substantial road maintenance funding but Cork has the largest road network, which amounts to over 12,000 km. The funding is such that 2% of roads would be resurfaced each year, meaning one can expect a road to be resurfaced once in 50 years. The funds are for very specific roads projects and the local authority has very little discretion in this regard. Can there be more flexibility and can road-maintenance funding for councils be prioritised?

I thank Deputy Moynihan. The Tánaiste, the Minister for Transport and I discussed road maintenance this week because we are very conscious that it is a very genuine issue in many communities. We are also very conscious that conditions have worsened due to the weather in the past. The three of us remain committed to seeing whether we can do more in this space in the weeks ahead. We will keep in touch with the Deputy about it.