I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, to Seanad Éireann and thank him for coming in.

Tá fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit ar ais chuig an Teach seo ar maidin. The Minister of State is welcome back to the Chamber this morning. I thank him for taking time out of his busy schedule to be here. I would like to discuss the chronic need for additional funding for local and regional roads in counties Cavan and Monaghan. This is despite the fact that last year record funding in excess of €19 million was allocated to County Cavan and over €18 million was allocated to County Monaghan. That was a €1.75 million increase on the previous year, but unfortunately, that increase has been eaten up by inflation. Therefore, fewer kilometres are being done for the allocation, which is very disappointing.

The problem, as the Minister of State would know well, coming from a rural constituency himself, is that Cavan and Monaghan are totally dependent on the local roads. The local and regional roads are the arteries of the lifeblood of the local communities from a social perspective and from a business and economic perspective.

Both counties are very well known for their entrepreneurial spirit. There are many small businesses located up small boreens but in order for them to get their product to market, the only show in town is the local and regional road network. Those roads are vitally important to the local communities. Unfortunately, we have not had a train service to both counties since the 1950s and we are totally dependent on the road network. That is why it is vital that the allocations are increased.

As I outlined earlier, even though the allocations were increased in the last number of years, when inflation is factored in there are fewer kilometres getting done for those allocations. On top of that, there has been a level of historical underfunding going back a long number of years and that is coming home to roost now. The road network is in a terrible state in County Monaghan. I must commend the roads department of the local authority there for its work in this area. Likewise, I commend the local councillors for being very vociferous on this particular issue. They understand the chronic need for additional funding for local and regional roads. The council conducted a survey which found that the density of quality roads in Monaghan was the second worst in the country. We have more kilometres than most other counties because of our drumlins. This problem is very much unique to Monaghan and Cavan.

I have discussed this issue with the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, on numerous occasions. I met him again yesterday and stressed the importance of an additional allocation for local and regional roads. I sincerely hope that when the allocations are announced in early January, that will be the case. I also mentioned the Ardee to Castleblaney road to the Minister when I met him. As the Minister of State knows, it is a very dangerous roadway and we are looking for funding to progress that, as well as additional funding to progress a bypass for Monaghan town which is choked with traffic every day of the week. We are hoping that both of those projects will be recognised, as well as the chronic need for additional funding for local and regional roads when the allocations are made in the first couple of weeks of January.

I thank Senator Gallagher for raising this important issue. I know of his interest in the road infrastructure in the counties that he knows best, Cavan and Monaghan. He is a regular contributor, both here in the House and within the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party, on this issue. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is unavailable today. He has asked me to convey his apologies to Senator Gallagher and to assure him that he will continue to engage with him on this.

The Senator's question relates to the funding provided to local authorities for the maintenance of regional and local roads, particularly in the Cavan and Monaghan area. As the Senator is aware and as outlined in the 2025 regional and local roads programme, the Government is strongly committed to protecting the existing road network. It is important to highlight that the improvement and maintenance of the regional and local road network is the statutory responsibility of the local authorities in accordance with the Roads Act 1993. Works on these roads are funded from the council's own resources and are supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is a matter for the local authority. As a former member of the local authority, I am sure Senator Gallagher is working with officials there to identify the priorities. Of these grants, the vast majority are targeted at the maintenance and renewal of the existing network, with the limited remaining funding invested in new roads and bridges or in road realignment, which is important from a road safety perspective and a way of reducing deaths and injuries on our roads. Unfortunately, we have seen a considerable spike in deaths and injuries on our roads but hopefully that is a spike and not a trend.

There has been a significant increase in Exchequer funding in recent years, with an investment of €713 million in our regional and local roads this year. This represents an increase of 25% in funding when compared to 2021. The Senator makes the valid point that while the funding is increasing, costs are also increasing, so a 25% increase in funding is not yielding a commensurate increase in the kilometres of road covered. That is a well-made point and I will certainly bring it back to the Department and the Minister.

Due to the pressures on the regional and local road network, the primary focus of investment is on the protection and renewal of the regional and local road network, which plays a critical role in supporting economic and community links throughout the country. The main regional and local road grant programmes are targeted at specific policy objectives, namely, pavement sealing to protect the road surface from water damage through restoration maintenance grants, and road strengthening based on pavement condition rating to lengthen the life of road pavements through restoration improvement grants. There is also a discretionary grant which allows for a range of activities, including pothole repairs, edge strengthening, renewal of signs and lines and winter maintenance. These three grant programmes account for most of the grant funding and are allocated based primarily on the length of the road network in a particular local authority area. It is envisaged that grants will continue to be made available on this basis as it is the most equitable approach.

In 2025, Cavan County Council received an allocation of €19,193,150, which is an increase of €1,752,840 on its 2024 allocation, and Monaghan County Council received an allocation of €18,008,350, which is an increase of €1,751,255. In addition to funding allocations under the main regional and local road grant programmes, Monaghan County Council has received funding of €4,084,278 since 2020 and Cavan County Council received funding of €912,058 in 2024 for a number of pilot schemes relating to road materials. Further allocations have been provided for both councils in 2025.

Following a mid-year review of regional and local road grant programme expenditure, local authorities were notified of an additional allocation of €10 million for their restoration improvement programmes. Cavan County Council received an allocation of €311,000 and Monaghan County Council received an allocation of €262,500. I know that Senator Gallagher was very involved in pushing to get that additional money for those two councils. He has had success so far and hopefully that will continue. This additional funding was welcomed by local authorities and was fully expended by year end.

It should be noted that Exchequer funding for regional and local roads is intended to supplement realistic contributions from local authorities’ own resources. As the statutory road authorities for their areas, it is open to local authorities to prioritise investment towards regional and local roads.

Before I call Senator Gallagher to respond, I welcome guests of Senator McCarthy to the Public Gallery.

I thank the Minister of State for the comprehensive response. As I said, the council conducted a survey recently on the quality of the roads in County Monaghan and 24% were found to be in the worst possible category. This clearly proves that there is a chronic need for additional funding for local and regional roads. That report is with the Department and I also mentioned it to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. I hope the Minister of State will convey to the Minister that there is a chronic need in both Monaghan and Cavan for additional road funding. I sincerely hope that the earnest request from me, county councillors and the council executives in both Monaghan and Cavan does not fall on deaf ears.

I listened intently to the contribution of the Senator and will certainly report his views back to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. He has rightly identified that there is strong demand from the people he represents, as well as from the county councillors in the area. It is always a good sign when the local authorities work with councillors to identify the priorities. I do not want to state the obvious but there is always a pie which must be split in so many different ways. Where there is an element of unanimity in terms of identifying the roads that are in greatest need, that works well and it is important to relay that to the Department and the Minister. I have found from experience in my own county that while one would like to get it all done in the first year, if one picks the priorities and works through them over five or six years, one gets a hell of a lot of work done. Cavan and Monaghan have been very successful in that regard in recent years. When I was just a young lad there was always talk of potholes in Cavan and Monaghan. Indeed, I think the people there even elected a pothole candidate but we have moved on from those dark days, thankfully, because of people like Senator Gallagher and others who have championed the cause and have done such good work in representing the area and ensuring, rightly, that it gets its fair share of funding. I am sure that will continue with the Senator's continued assistance.