asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health (a) the reason for the refusal of sanction by his Department of a proposal by Wexford County Council for the improvement of the road through Bannow parish; (b) if he is aware of the present almost impassable condition of the road which serves churches, schools, and dispensary; and further, that the policy of his Department of using the unemployment figure as a determining factor in road improvement schemes is in effect a policy of penalisation of this district where unemployment is almost unknown.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Wexford Road.
There was no refusal of sanction to a proposal of the Wexford County Council for the improvement of the road referred to and, in fact, no such sanction would be necessary. From inquiries made locally I understand that the road is not in the condition described. The Deputy is under a misapprehension as regards the statement in the last part of the question. The policy referred to is not applied to normal road improvement schemes. If road works are financed in whole or in part from the Employment Schemes Vote, the position is entirely different. The primary purpose of employment schemes being the provision of employment, such works must be located as near as possible to the areas where the unemployed persons reside.
I should like to assure the Minister that I am under no misapprehension as regards the statement made in my question. I have been on this road several times and I may state that it is a type of road that, in its present condition, is perfectly useless. This is in a district which the Minister knows well. He is aware that the farmers have tilled a big percentage of their land. They should get some credit for what they have done and the least they expect is to get passable roads.