I welcome Minister of State, Deputy Grealish, to the House.

The Minister of State is welcome to the House. I will bring him to one of the most scenic and probably most historically important parts of County Roscommon. The village of Arigna is nestled in the mountains overlooking Lough Allen, with some of the finest scenery anywhere in the west of Ireland. The Deputy might question that and compare it with somewhere in Carnmore, but Arigna is much more than a beautiful place. It is a community with a proud industrial heritage, a remarkable story of resilience and a determination to secure its future.

For generations, Arigna was synonymous with coal mining. Mining sustained families in the area for centuries, providing employment at a time when opportunity in rural Ireland was limited. When the mines closed in 1990, it was a devastating blow, with more than 200 jobs lost. With those jobs went the economic foundation on which generations of families had depended.

However, the people of Arigna never gave up. They came together, invested in their community and turned their mining heritage into an opportunity. Today, the Arigna Mining Experience is one of County Roscommon's most distinctive tourist attractions, welcoming visitors from across Ireland and overseas. Arigna is also home to important local employers and businesses, including Hill Street Quarries, while Roscommon LEADER Partnership operates the Arigna Enterprise Centre and supports employment and community development across the whole county of Roscommon.

This is a community which has worked incredibly hard to create opportunities for itself yet for the past two years the main road serving the village has been operating under temporary traffic restrictions. On 21 October 2024 a lorry went off the local L1001 road near Arigna village. It is the only road into the village. Thankfully the driver escaped serious injury but the incident brought renewed attention to the condition and vulnerability of that stretch of road. Indeed, during the 2024 general election campaign Dympna Daly-Finn from the area highlighted the seriousness of the situation and the impact it was having on the community. Two years later, we are still talking about the same problem. The road has suffered significant subsidence over a stretch of 60 m to 100 m and cracks have appeared in the road surface. The temporary traffic management measures have remained in place, restricting the movement of traffic in and out of the village.

I acknowledge the ongoing work of Roscommon County Council, its engineers, the specialist consultants and the local councillors who have continued to pursue a solution. The proposal they have come up with involves rebuilding a steep roadside embankment which is approximately 7 m high to create a stable slope to provide a long-term solution. Roscommon County Council has submitted an application to the Department of Transport under the specific improvement grant and, subject to funding approval, the council hopes to carry out the work in 2027.

Last Monday night over 100 people attended a public meeting in The Miners Bar in Arigna. They came to tell public representatives what these restrictions have meant to their businesses, their daily journeys, their families and the wider community. One message came through repeatedly. People genuinely believe that if this problem had occurred in a larger town, a more populated area or somewhere with greater political influence, it would have been resolved a very long time ago. Whether we agree with that assessment or not, we cannot ignore the frustrations behind it because for the people of Arigna this is not simply a damaged stretch of road. It is an ongoing disruption to their daily lives, to local businesses and the development of the community. They have already overcome numerous challenges.

We speak regularly in this House about regional development, rural regeneration and supporting communities. We are not talking about a multi-million euro national road project here. We are talking about small money to restore safe and reliable road service to an established rural community. I am asking the Minister of State today to give this application his full support, to confirm when a funding decision can be expected and to work with Roscommon County Council to ensure the works can be completed in 2027. The community in Arigna deserves this support.

I thank Senator Scahill for raising this topic. I spoke to the Minister for Transport this morning. As the Senator will know, he is caught up with EU business. He asked me to acknowledge the representations the Senator has made with him along with his colleague, Councillor Liam Callaghan. He will take on board the case the Senator has made to him on this. He asked me to say that Deputy Martin Daly has also been on to him, as well as Councillor Sean Moylan. He told me to acknowledge the work the Senator is doing on this.

Local authorities are responsible, by statute, for the maintenance and improvement of the regional and local roads present in their respective areas of responsibility. Any work undertaken on these roads is funded by the resources of the local authority concerned and, where eligible, this is supplemented by the Department of Transport’s regional and local roads grant programme. The initial selection and prioritisation of work to be funded is a matter for local authorities.

The regional and local roads grant programme is primarily targeted at the maintenance and renewal of our existing roads network, with the remainder invested in new roads, new bridges and road realignments. The funds available through this programme have been steadily increasing in recent years. For 2026, €718 million was made available, which facilitated an increase of €26 million from 2025 for road protection and renewal throughout Ireland.

The grant programme operated by the Department is focused on specific policy objectives. Restoration maintenance grants look to pavement sealing to protect the road surface from water damage. Restoration improvement grants look to road strengthening to lengthen the life of road pavements. The discretionary grants available allow for a range of activities, including pothole repair, edge strengthening, renewal of signs and lines, and winter maintenance. These three grant programmes account for most of the funding available.

The basis for determining the allocations for each local authority, under this grant programme, is related to the total number of kilometres of regional and local roads within their areas of responsibility. This is held as being the most equitable method of distribution. For 2026, allocations were notified to local authorities on 17 February. Roscommon County Council was allocated over €23 million, with most of this funding directed towards protection and renewal. This was an increase of almost €400,000 compared with its initial 2025 allocation. 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 own resource investment towards regional and local roads.

As regards the L1001, in 2025 €30,000 was provided by the Department of Transport for safety improvement works to improve signage and awareness of the road edge through studs and delineators. In 2026 €115,000 was provided for climate change adaptation and resilience works to support work on embankment stabilisation. For 2027, grant allocations to be provided through the regional and local roads grant programme are under consideration and will be finalised after the publication of the Revised Estimates Volume.

To reiterate what the Minister said, he is aware of it. He asked me to acknowledge the Senator’s work in raising it along with his three colleagues, Deputy Martin Brady, Councillor Sean Moylan and Councillor Liam Callaghan. He said he will look at the application when it comes in.

I thank the Minister of State. I welcome the detailed response. He spoke about kilometres of road. I spoke about 60 m to 100 m of road. He spoke about potholes. I spoke about 150 m drop to the side of the road. The public meeting held by the community of Arigna was attended by multiple Oireachtas Members and representatives from local government. Everyone was united in finding a solution for this community. That is why I raised this Commencement Matter today.

If we cannot get the money under specific improvement grants they have an idea for a capital measure that will cost multiple millions. I do believe this represents better value for money. This community should not have to look at a fourth year of traffic restrictions in a part of the country where we want to see more footfall, more enterprise and more tourists. We gave them the commitment on Monday night that we would chase that. I welcome the Minister’s response and that of the Minister of State in supporting that today.

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. The quality and safety of our roads is a top priority for this Government. We do not want any accidents. We want safe roads. The Senator made a good case this morning for the funding to be provided. I will bring what he said back. I always bring back the issues raised in the Seanad when I represent the Minister. I will bring this back to the Minister and explain the important case the Senator has made for this. I assure the Senator that he is aware of it and the representations which Senator Scahill and his colleagues have made and that he will look favourably on it. I cannot say he will grant it – I am not the Minister – but he did say he will look at the application when it comes in.

The Minister of State is welcome to come up and visit at any stage and maybe see the mining experience.

I thank the Senator.