I warmly welcome the announcement of €65 million in funding for local and national roads in County Kerry last week. This is a significant investment, and it will make a real difference to communities right across the county. I acknowledge the Minister and his Department for recognising the scale of the need in Kerry and supporting the work of Kerry County Council in maintaining and improving our road network. However, while the roads funding announcement was very welcome, I must raise an issue that has been a source of deep frustration for the people of Listowel, north Kerry and, indeed, me personally for many years. I am referencing the section of the N69 leading into Listowel between Boland's Cross and the Tim Kennelly roundabout in Listowel. It is approximately 1.2 km. This is not a minor road by any measure. It is a main national secondary route, a key artery into Listowel and a road that thousands of people rely on every day, yet its condition is, quite frankly, disgraceful. Kerry County Council placed this section at number three on its priority list for national roads resurfacing. It has repeatedly highlighted its deteriorating state. I have been calling consistently and publicly for this stretch to be resurfaced for seven years. While I welcome the funding package, I must ask the question the people of Listowel and north Kerry have been asking of me for the last week: why was this section of the N69 not included?

This stretch of road that has been flagged time and again. It is a road that carries heavy traffic. It is a road that is vital for business, tourism, commuters and families. Indeed, with all the entrances on greenways and such, the entrance to the completed multimillion euro greenway from Limerick into Listowel is on this dangerous stretch of road. You could not really make it up. It is now a national road that has fallen far below an acceptable standard. I ask the Minister for Transport to immediately review this decision. I ask that this section of the N69 be given the priority it deserves. I ask that the people who rely on this road and who have waited long enough finally see it repaired. While I appreciate the investment announced last week for County Kerry, investment must also be fair, strategic and regionally balanced. Not one Deputy in Kerry cared to highlight this road, which is really disappointing for the people of north Kerry.

Senator Collins mentioned the issue in Abbeyfeale. Immediate negotiations are needed between SIPTU and the Kostal plant in Abbeyfeale. It is over the road from Listowel; it is in north Kerry-west Limerick.