I wish to again raise the Ring of Kerry road. I acknowledge the €10 million provided by the Minister for Transport. That funding was obviously very welcome. This is Ireland's premier tourist route. It is in a shocking and dangerous condition. It has lags, humps and hollows. It is 70% substandard. It has been underfunded for decades. In Cahersiveen town, the road and footpath are in a disgraceful condition. It is completely lopsided and there have been numerous accidents. This is a national secondary route.

Residents in Killorglin are also looking for the road there to be upgraded. From Laune Bridge to Dunmaniheen and on to Anglont, where the RDI Hub is, the residents have been campaigning for over 50 years for a new realignment and footpath. I would like to see that progressed. Kerry County Council has informed me if it received €150,000 from TII, it would cover the planning process. I ask the Minister of State to refer that to the Minister and TII officials.

My own village of Glenbeigh urgently needs new footpaths, public lighting and a pedestrian crossing. There are many other sections that require urgent attention along the Ring of Kerry, including Waterville, Caherdaniel, Castlecove and Sneem, among a number of others.

Traffic congestion and long delays are an everyday occurrence in both Killarney and Killorglin. The bypass is progressing for Killarney. There is a bypass required in both towns. I ask that TII senior officials look at both towns to see if we could come up with some short-term measures that would help alleviate this congestion.

I also wish to raise hedge cutting on the Ring of Kerry. The Ring of Kerry is Ireland's premier tourist route. It is on the Wild Atlantic Way. We have magnificent scenery and yet most people who use it cannot see the ocean even though it is right beside them because it is all covered in with trees. What is required here is funding from TII to provide a long reach hedge cutter and specialist climbers who would climb down as a lot of the trees are growing from under the cliff edge. It is a huge issue and everybody is on about it all the time. The road is dangerous as a result.

I ask the Minister of State relay my concerns to the Minister. I raised the same issues yesterday with the Taoiseach. That is how important it is to the people of Kerry and to all visitors to our county.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I will go through the format first and then come to the points he raised. The matter of infrastructure investment to support road safety as well as the quality of life for people who rely on the N70 is an important one. The Minister for Transport has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding but TII, the national roads authority, and the local authorities are intertwined in relation to these projects.

Deputy Cahill mentioned a number of issues along the Wild Atlantic Way and, more importantly, the N70, and a number of concerns he has about it. I concur with the Deputy's concerns. I travelled the road this summer and it is a premier tourist attraction. From the Cork side, we do not like giving that to Kerry but we accept the Ring of Kerry and all of its beauty. It is hugely important that we understand and I will certainly be taking the issues the Deputy raised back to the Minister for Transport and TII as well. He has outlined a number of issues on which locals have been campaigning for decades in terms of road improvement. That shows the level of commitment he has in supporting them. He mentioned his own community of Glenbeigh as well. It is right on the Wild Atlantic Way and the Ring of Kerry.

It is important and very much incumbent on Government, at a political level, and Transport Infrastructure Ireland, in conjunction with the local authority, to make sure we are preserving and enhancing the primary tourist routes across the country, that is, the Wild Atlantic Way but also the Ring of Kerry, which is famous in terms of tourism going back centuries. I will be taking those issues back.

As the Deputy mentioned, there is a huge amount of money being invested in County Kerry, which I know he has been advocating for, not just while he has been in this House but for a long number of years, working hard with the local authority and TII. They are progressing but the issues he raised today, including the issue with hedge cutting, is not lost.

That is a hugely important piece. We have to revisit and look at the policies on those premier tourism routes, both at local authority level and the level of Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, to make sure we are offering the best possible to those who come to Kerry. A huge number of livelihoods are dependent on tourism in the region Deputy Cahill talks about. They are two of the most important pieces. I will certainly raise with the Department of Transport both the issues and the points the Deputy made. He mentioned Sneem, Blackwater Bridge and other places. They are hugely important tourism routes. We meet many tourists going on the Ring of Kerry either by bus or otherwise, and it is important we show off to the best of our ability the great facilities, scenery and communities we have along the Ring of Kerry and the N70. I will convey the Deputy's request for funding back to TII and the Department of Transport as a matter of urgency.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, and the Members for accommodating me. I am happy enough now.

I thank the Deputy's colleagues for the flexibility shown towards the Deputy.