On behalf of all the Members, the youth advisory panel are most welcome and we all identify that their contributions are most important.

Following the announcement in February of the annual roads allocation, will the Tánaiste give an update on any further allocations for Monaghan, Cavan and all of the other counties? This year's allocations for local and secondary roads will not go as far because they will be eaten up by price increases in supplies and labour year on year. With the excessive wet weather this winter and a number of storms, the latest being Goretti in February, local and secondary roads in counties Monaghan and Cavan are in a deplorable state. Will there be a further allocation to help local authorities reinstate these roads? These roads are used by farmers, all types of businesses and the people who live on them. It will cost Monaghan County Council just over €1.4 million for repairs to cover storm damage alone on their local roads this year.

At the moment this €1.4 million is being taken out of the ordinary roads maintenance budgets that are already cut to the bone. The people of rural Ireland deserve roads that are fit to be used safely. We need sustained increases to bring all local roads up to the required standard over the coming years. Can the Tánaiste give a commitment here today to local authorities that another tranche of funding will be coming forward?

I thank Deputy Maxwell for raising this. It is not the first time he has raised it with me. I know his constituency in Cavan and Monaghan has been significantly impacted by Storm Chandra. While we have increased the funding for roads in Cavan and Monaghan, which is important - there is an increase in the funding in 2026 versus 2025 - I want to see that money, and more importantly the Deputy wants to see that money, in Cavan and Monaghan being spent as it was intended and not sucked up by the road damage. We have gone out to the councils. When I say "we" I mean the Department of Transport has gone out to the councils and asked them to come back to us in terms of their storm damage so we can see if we can allocate additional funding for that storm damage within the Department of Transport Vote. That is the direction the Taoiseach and I gave a special Cabinet committee on the flood damage. There is currently an application in from eight local authorities, of which Monaghan is one. That is now being assessed. I am not saying this to be difficult but I am not sure if we have one in yet from Cavan. On foot of the Deputy raising this, I will follow that up. The Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, who is in that Department, will also link in with the Deputy on it.