The recent bad weather across the country has taken its toll on all our road networks. The roads on the local improvement scheme, LIS, are now mud tracks. It is with a deep sense of frustration and sadness that I once again highlight the crisis facing many families across rural Kerry under the LIS. Kerry County Council has shown time and again it has the capacity and commitment to deliver under the scheme. It is ready and able to utilise up to €5 million per annum, yet the allocation provided remains at approximately €2.2. million - less than half of what is needed and of what can be effectively spent.

Behind those figures lies a stark human reality. When the scheme opened, over 800 roads applied and 706 qualified. On average, a population of about 10,000 people live on those roads. There are over 550 applicants still on the LIS waiting list in Kerry. At the current pace, 20 to 30 roads are completed each year, so many are facing a weight of up to 20 years. That is not a delay; it is a lifetime.

I recently spoke to an elderly couple. I spoke to the mom of the house. She is 78 and her husband is 83. They have been on the list since the scheme opened. The sad reality of their situation is they may not live to see their road improved. After years of waiting patiently, imagine knowing the road outside your home, the road you depend on every day, may not be fixed in your lifetime. They are No. 320 on the list. They will not see that road in their lifetime. That is the sad news I have to bring on this occasion. This is my third time speaking on this. They are not alone.

These roads are not luxuries; they are basic access routes. Some ambulances are struggling to travel them. Emergency services are being delayed. Elderly people are left cut off because transport providers will not bring them to day care services due to the condition of their roads. People are being isolated in their own homes, not by distance, but by neglect.

This is one of the most serious and overlooked road issues we face in Kerry today. What makes it all the more difficult to accept is that, in other counties, funding is not being fully drawn down. In some cases, allocations are being returned to the Department. At the same time in Kerry, we have shovel-ready roads, willing applicants and a council ready to deliver. This cannot continue. If funding is not being used elsewhere, it must be redirected to where the need is greatest – that is clearly in Kerry. Every euro left idle in one county is a year added to the waiting list for the families I mentioned.

Kerry also has one of the highest number of private roads in the country requiring improvement. That reality must be recognised at a national level, which I think it is not. The scheme needs to be examined through that lens and Kerry must be prioritised accordingly.

This is not just about infrastructure. It is about fairness, safety and the basic dignity of all our people. We cannot continue to ask people to wait decades for something as fundamental as access to their own homes and we cannot accept a situation where emergency services are put at risk or elderly people are effectively cut off from the supports they depend on. I call on the Minister of State not just to review the scheme, but to act decisively, to increase funding for Kerry in 2026, to redirect unused allocations from other counties and to ensure this growing frustration is finally addressed.

I thank Senator Kennelly for again raising the important matter of the local improvement scheme. He is right. The profound weather is having a huge implication for these roads and I accept the points he made. It is not his first time raising the matter. I have listened to his contributions and will take them back to the Minister, Deputy Calleary.

It is important to note that the focus of the scheme is to continue supporting the improvement of non-public rural roads and laneways that are not normally maintained by local authorities. The Senator is right that these roads are not luxuries. They represent a vital piece of infrastructure for the people he speaks about and champions, and he has done so regularly. They provide important connectivity in communities across rural Ireland, particularly in Kerry, enhancing access to homes, farmland and amenities. The support for these schemes can be seen in their popularity at local level. I can attest to the success of the scheme because of the level of demand and interest and the joy of people who are successful.

Since the scheme was introduced in 2017, the Government has allocated over €201 million to local authorities. Our Rural Future, the Government's national rural development policy, clearly recognises the important role the LIS plays in rural Ireland and commits to ensuring that the scheme is funded into the future. The programme for Government also recognises the benefits provided under the scheme and is committed to provision of additional funding for the LIS. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, and I are committed to ensuring the scheme continues to be well funded in the coming years. In February, we confirmed funding of €17.5 million for the LIS in 2026, which represents an increase on the base funding announced in previous years. In August last year, and following the confirmation of €16.5 million in funding for 2025, we will likely be able to provide an additional second round of funding to local authorities under the 2025 scheme, which almost doubled the previous allocation committed and saw the 2025 budget increase to €30 million, the highest annual level since the scheme's introduction.

Senator Kennelly will be glad to know that in County Kerry additional funding was made available to Kerry County Council under the second round of funding to the tune of €1.2 million. This brought the funding for Kerry last year to €22.2 million, which was a 44% increase in the budget from the previous year. I accept there are delays and people still waiting. Our Department provides funding for the scheme. It is administered by the local authorities, which are responsible for the management of waiting lists, scheme applications and determining the eligibility of roads. Our officials continue to be engaged with Kerry County Council to ensure that the funding is being fully utilised.

While in previous years, as the Senator referenced, a number of small communities and local authorities did not spend their entire LIS allocation and returned money, we have asked our local government colleagues to ensure this will not happen again. To try to understand and limit underspends and maximise works completed each year, Department officials engage with local authorities to understand where full spending may not occur and the potential to redistribute funds to local authorities that may be in a position to utilise funds. As the Senator knows, County Kerry did not return money last year because it spent its full allocation. Using underspends from elsewhere our Department was able to provide a further €64,000 in works over and above the county’s approved budget.

The Minister, Deputy Calleary, and I understand the importance of this scheme, which is about supporting the upkeep of non-public roads and laneways for people in rural Ireland and in particular for our farm families. These roads provide vital access to lands and rural homes. The scheme is also used to fund non-public roads leading to important community amenities such as graveyards, beaches, piers, mountain access points and other heritage or tourism sites. I reaffirm my commitment and that of the Minister to the local improvement scheme and commend the work of local authorities across rural Ireland that administer it, particularly Kerry. I thank the Senator for again raising the matter. It is a necessary support to encourage and maintain our rural communities and this is reflected in the Government’s and our commitment to the scheme.

I thank the Minister of State for his response. As we both stated, everyone welcomes the €2.2 million for Kerry, but we have told the Department that €5 million is needed to put any strain on this to take an extra 30 or 40 roads off this LIS scheme per annum. We did not get that. The frustration I show today is because when other counties give back their allocations I do not know where that money goes. Did it go back into other roads or funding mechanisms within Kerry? I am not sure. I am not aware. The people I speak for today are the people living on these private roads, which are not accessible any more. The last six months have really deteriorated the scheme. I am calling for a specific review and a special hearing for Kerry County Council and its CEO to go to the Department, with his cap, looking for the extra €2.8 million to come up to €5 million so they can complete in one given year. They cannot do over that because of staffing and so on. However, they can do €5 million. That is what we need to get anywhere with that list and take away the heartache these people are going through.

I hear what the Senator has said and the figure of €5 million he mentioned. Kerry County Council has been allocated over €1.3 million for the LIS this year bringing its total allocation to €12.7 million since 2017. I encourage and support our local authorities to ensure the continued and effective use of this funding in supporting our rural communities. It is an important scheme. The programme for Government makes clear its support for the LIS and the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and I are committed to ensuring this funding continues to be utilised in an efficient and effective manner. We will hold the councils to account in the case of underspend and underutilisation. We expect local authorities to continue to deliver efficiently on the scheme across Ireland. It has a huge benefit. Our officials will continue to engage to ensure the funding is fully utilised.

I will ask officials to review the allocation mechanism to look at how we can allocate and reallocate available funding for the schemes to County Kerry. The Senator said there is an extraordinary number of roads and a high number of applicants waiting. I think 580 are waiting for approval. I will sit down with the Senator and work with him to see what we can do to ensure the fund for Kerry is increased. I will not make any false promises but the points he makes are valid. They are a lifeline for rural communities. It is about accessibility to their own farmland and to tourism and heritage sites. I hear what he is saying and I will bring his remarks back.