It is the honour of a lifetime to stand in this Chamber and make my maiden speech. First off, I thank the good people of Cavan and Monaghan for putting their trust in me and giving me the privilege of representing them in this House. I said I would be a new voice but continue the good work of Fine Gael in Cavan and Monaghan, which I promise to do.

I thank everyone who worked for me to be elected to Dáil Éireann. I want to ask the Minister about funding for local improvement schemes. This funding stream provides funding for improvement works on small roads and laneways in rural Ireland, and gives farmers and homeowners a chance to get a lane or road brought up to a good standard. Currently, Monaghan County Council has 32 lanes on a historical list. It then received 273 applications last year. These applications have yet to be assessed. Assuming 80% of the applications are valid, that leaves the local authority with 218 valid applications. Based on current funding rates, we expect ten lanes to be surfaced each year, which would mean 22 years to clear the 2024 list. At the current rate, it will take three years to clear the historical list, and 22 years to deal with last year's applications, if current investment is not increased in the coming 25 years with no new lanes coming on to the list. Taking this into consideration, does the Government have any intention to increase the local improvement scheme funding?

I congratulate the Deputy Maxwell on his election to the House. I thank him for raising an issue that I know is really important for the people he represents. I know much work was done by his great predecessor, the former Minister, Heather Humphreys, with regard to this issue too and he wants to continue to build on this work. Regarding what the Deputy said, I understand that in his community, since 2017, 155 roads have now been completed under the local improvement scheme. The recent allocation that was made available was just under €1 million for the Deputy's community to respond to the issues he has raised. I know the Minister, Deputy Calleary, is looking at what funding he can provide under the local improvement scheme. I also know every Deputy will be making the case for his or her constituency, but we know it is a good scheme that plays a role in lanes and roadways in rural Ireland. I am sure the Minister, Deputy Calleary, will do his best to make additional funding for the Deputy because we all know there is a demand for it.