Unfortunately, Galway County Council has reached the bottom of the league in terms of State funding per capita in terms of county council funding. I am not surprised because Galway County Council has been one of the most under-funded councils for a number of years. Unfortunately, it is official that Galway County Council has reached the bottom of the table. Galway County Council was second last for a number of years but Meath County Council has now overtaken us but is still in the relegation zone.

Galway County Council is way behind comparable counties of the same size such as Mayo, Donegal, Tipperary and Kerry. This situation has been known for some time and the Department officials have been very aware of same. Many promises have been made at Department and ministerial levels to rectify the situation, yet we still await a solution. We are being fobbed off with the excuse that a review of the local property tax is taking place. While recognising the situation in Galway and providing a certain amount of additional funding through the former Minister of State at the Department, Deputy John Paul Phelan, the current Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, and the current Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, the situation has not improved and it is increasingly difficult to get budgets passed. I call for a debate on local authority funding to be arranged because we need to find solutions for counties like Galway which have huge ambitions in terms of the delivery of services by local authorities, and there is a huge demand for services by residents. For years it was debated whether the local authority would be amalgamated with Galway City Council. Whether right or wrong, the option to amalgamate is off the table. We still need to arrange a stable level of funding for Galway County Council to enable it to deliver services that the residents, taxpayers and local property tax payers in the county deserve.

I agree with the comments Senator Kyne made about securing funding for Galway County Council. I am well aware of the efforts the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, have made to solve this situation but we need a general debate in this House.

Today, I want to concentrate on the N5 route that runs from Strokestown to Ballaghaderreen and which, unfortunately, has seen huge loss of life over the years. As a result of the war in Ukraine, the roads contract has fallen through due to the fact Roadbridge is no longer functioning. I am confident, having met the Taoiseach and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, that the project will be up and running. However, in the meantime, there are huge concerns about safety in the town of Strokestown, on the outskirts of Tulsk village and in Ballinagar. I understand Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, may do something about part of the route at Frenchpark after many politicians made representations over many years. People are really worried about safety on these roads. I ask the Acting Leader to ask the Leader to contact the Minister for Transport and arrange a debate so we can discuss the route, particularly the fact that the present contract has been held up due to the worsening situation in Ukraine. I reiterate the case for inviting the Minister to attend a debate in this House to discuss many roads issues, particularly issues with the N5 route.