asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state in respect of each of the years 1966-67 and 1968-69 (a) the total amount allocated out of the Road Fund to local authorities; and (b) the total amount allocated to each local authority.
5.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Road Fund Allocations.
4.
(Cavan) asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state in respect of each local authority the amount of road grants allocated for the year 1966-67 and for the year 1968-69.
6.
asked the Minister for Local Government the amounts allocated to each local authority from the Road Fund for the years 1966-67 and 1968-69 respectively; and the amount of the decrease in each case.
7.
(South Tipperary) asked the Minister for Local Government the total allocation for roads and bridges determined for local authorities for 1968-69.
8.
asked the Minister for Local Government (a) the total amount allocated to County Westmeath out of the Road Fund for the years 1966-67 and 1968-69; and the reasons for the reduction.
9.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state in respect of each of the years 1966-67 and 1968-69 the amount allocated to Kilkenny County Council from the Road Fund for (a) county roads, (b) main roads and (c) arterial roads.
10.
andMr. O'Hara asked the Minister for Local Government the total amount of money allocated to County Mayo for road works in each of the years 1966-67 and 1968-69 for (a) main roads, (b) tourist roads and (c) county roads.
11.
(Cavan) asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state the amount of the road grant allocated to County Cavan in respect of the years 1966-67 and 1968-69.
12.
andMr. Timmins asked the Minister for Local Government the amount allocated out of the Road Fund for County Wicklow for the year 1966-67; and the amount allocated for the year 1968-69.
13.
andMr. O.J. Flanagan asked the Minister for Local Government the amount allocated to Offlay out of the Road Fund for 1966-67, and the amount allocated this year.
14.
andMr. O.J. Flanagan asked the Minister for Local Government the amount allocated to Laois out of the Road Fund for 1966-67, and the amount allocated this year.
15.
asked the Minister for Local Government the total amount allocated to County Kilkenny from the Road Fund in each of the years 1966-67 and 1968-69.
16.
asked the Minister for Local Government the total amount allocated to County Monaghan out of the Road Fund for the years 1966-67 and 1968-69.
17.
asked the Minister for Local Government the amount allocated to County Wexford out of the Road Fund (a) for 1966-67 and (b) for 1968-69.
18.
andMrs. Hogan-O'Higgins asked the Minister for Local Government the total road grants allocated for the years 1966-67 and 1968-69 for County Galway.
19.
Mrs. Burke
andMr. Reynolds asked the Minister for Local Government the amount allocated to Roscommon County Council from the Road Fund for the year 1966-67, and the total amount allocated this year.
20.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state in respect of the years 1966-67 and 1968-69 the amount allocated to County Sligo from the Road Fund.
21.
andMr. T. O'Donnell asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state in respect of the years 1966-67 and 1968-69 the amount allocated to County Limerick from the Road Fund.
22.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state in respect of the years 1966-67 and 1968-69 the amount allocated to County Longford from the Road Fund.
23.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state in respect of the years 1966-67 and 1968-69 the amount allocated to County Kildare from the Road Fund.
24.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state in respect of the years 1966-67 and 1968-69 the amount allocated to North Tipperary from the Road Fund.
25.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state in respect of the years 1966-67 and 1968-69 the amount allocated to County Meath from the Road Fund.
26.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state in respect of the years 1966-67 and 1968-69 the amount allocated to County Waterford from the Road Fund.
27.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state in respect of the years 1966-67 and 1968-69 the amount allocated to County Carlow from the Road Fund.
28.
andMr. S. Collins asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state in respect of the years 1966-67 and 1968-69 the amount allocated to County Cork from the Road Fund.
29.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state in respect of the years 1966-67 and 1968-69 the amount allocated to County Kerry from the Road Fund.
30.
andMr. Clinton asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state in respect of the years 1966-67 and 1968-69 the amount allocated to County Dublin from the Road Fund.
31.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state in respect of the years 1966-67 and 1968-69 the amount allocated to County Clare from the Road Fund.
32.
andMr. Gilhawley asked the Minister for Local Government the amount allocated out of the Road Fund for County Leitrim in 1966-67 and in 1968-69.
33.
(South Tipperary) asked the Minister for Local Government the allocation from the Road Fund to Tipperary South Riding County Council for each of the years 1966-67, 1967-68 and 1968-69.
34.
(South Tipperary) asked the Minister for Local Government the amount allocated to Tipperary South Riding for road purposes for each of the years 1966-67, 1967-68 and 1968-69.
35.
asked the Minister for Local Government the allocation from the Road Fund to Donegal County Council for each of the years ended 31st March, 1967, 31st March, 1968, and 31st March, 1969.
36.
asked the Minister for Local Government the amount of road grant allocations notified to Louth County Council for 1968-69; and the comparative figures for each of the four preceding years.
37.
asked the Minister for Local Government the total amount allocated to Cork County Borough out of the Road Fund (a) for the year 1966-67 and (b) for the year 1967-68; and if in making the 1968-69 allocation he took into consideration the increased mileage to be catered for because of the extension of the borough.
I propose, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to reply to Questions Nos. 4 to 37 together. For information in relation to Road Fund grant allocations for 1966-67, I would refer the Deputies to my reply of 20th June, 1967, to a similar series of questions. As Deputies are aware, complete details of this year's allocations are not available at this stage. Accordingly, I propose to circulate with the Official Report a tabular statement setting out, in respect of the current financial year, details of Road Fund grant allocations made to each road authority, in so far as they are available at present, and setting out such additional information not included in the foregoing as has been requested by a number of Deputies.
Deputies will find in the table I am circulating information as to the total estimated allocations for the country as a whole for the current financial year and the totals of the allocations to the individual road authorities less the main road upkeep grant.
Deputies will appreciate that I cannot, at this stage, give details of the actual amounts of the main road upkeep grant for this year as such amounts are contingent on provisions made by the road authorities for main road maintenance, particulars of which have not yet been supplied to my Department by the road authorities concerned. It is estimated that the total provision for the main road upkeep grant this year will be £100,000 higher than the figure estimated for this grant last year, or £150,000 higher than the corresponding figure for 1966-67.
Deputies will recall that in reply to this series of Questions before the local elections last year, I gave details of the parlous condition in which the Fianna Fáil Government found the Road Fund when it was taken over from the Coalition Government in 1957, that later Deputy Sweetman provided me with an opportunity of explaining how the situation was caused, and that I pointed out the importance of ensuring that such a situation does not develop again. Unless the Opposition would like me to refresh their memories, I do not propose to cover this ground again. However, I have to remind Deputies that, as custodian of the Road Fund, I must regard it as a paramount consideration that the Fund should be maintained in a solvent condition. If this is not done, the important work of our road system will be disrupted as was the housing programme in 1956-57. The short fall in the income of the Fund which took place in 1966-67, combined with the high level of commitments arising in respect of work commenced in previous years, left me with no alternative but to reduce allocations for 1967-68 as compared with 1966-67. The Road Fund has now recovered its buoyancy and this recovery is reflected in an increase of approximately £500,000 in the aggregate of this year's allocations as compared with last year. In fact, apart from the special additional financial assistance amounting to £275,000 approximately which had to be allocated from the Fund in 1966-67 for major bridge projects at New Ross and Valentia, the aggregate of the current year's allocations exceeds the corresponding figure for 1966-67.
Last year also I gave details of new schemes of grants, and expansion of existing schemes of grants, involving vastly increased activity on road improvement and maintenance and its financing which have been introduced in the last decade by the Fianna Fáil Government. The £500,000 approximately extra which it has been possible to allocate this year is further and continuing evidence of the consistent determination of the Government to pursue a progressive roads policy and of the increasing capacity of the economy to finance such a policy.
Following is the statement:
Total Road Fund Grant Allocations, 1968-69=£9,490,000
|
Road Authority |
Total Amount of Road Fund Grant Allocations for Improvement Work only |
|
1968-69 |
|
|
£ |
|
|
County Councils: |
|
|
Carlow |
65,760† |
|
Cavan |
172,310† |
|
Clare |
329,480† |
|
Cork |
643,060† |
|
Donegal |
460,100† |
|
Dublin |
84,900† |
|
Galway |
382,920† |
|
Kerry |
262,210† |
|
Kildare |
250,940† |
|
Kilkenny |
167,480† |
|
Laois |
174,800† |
|
Leitrim |
164,000† |
|
Limerick |
217,160† |
|
Longford |
107,610†+ |
|
Louth |
218,300†+ |
|
Mayo |
376,970† |
|
Meath |
201,600† |
|
Monaghan |
161,360† |
|
Offaly |
118,160† |
|
Roscommon |
235,420† |
|
Sligo |
179,710† |
|
Tipperary NR |
158,020† |
|
Tipperary SR |
180,360† |
|
Waterford |
134,480† |
|
Westmeath |
165,260† |
|
Wexford |
279,090† |
|
Wicklow |
106,650† |
|
County Boroughs: |
|
|
Dublin |
776,630† |
|
Cork |
62,810† |
|
Limerick |
59,290† |
|
Waterford |
21,450† |
|
Dún Laoghaire Borough Corporation |
71,995† |
|
Corporations and Urban District Councils: |
|
|
An Uaimh |
415 |
|
Arklow |
1,262 |
|
Athlone |
1,509 |
|
Athy |
670 |
|
Ballina |
1,401 |
|
Ballinasloe |
1,161 |
|
Birr |
784 |
|
Bray |
2,103 |
|
Buncrana |
1,464 |
|
Bundoran |
868 |
|
Carlow |
953 |
|
Carrickmacross |
382 |
|
Carrick-on-Suir |
1,151 |
|
Cashel |
382 |
|
Corporations and |
|
|
UDCs |
|
|
Castlebar |
511 |
|
Castleblayney |
133 |
|
Cavan |
652 |
|
Ceanannus Mór |
143 |
|
Clonakilty |
1,253 |
|
Clones |
370 |
|
Clonmel |
2,251 |
|
Cobh |
1,436 |
|
Drogheda |
8,646† |
|
Dundalk |
9,736† |
|
Dungarvan |
1,502 |
|
Ennis |
1,188 |
|
Enniscorthy |
1,142 |
|
Fermoy |
537 |
|
Galway |
4,079 |
|
Kilkenny |
1,643 |
|
Killarney |
1,129 |
|
Kilrush |
763 |
|
Kinsale |
895 |
|
Letterkenny |
1,102 |
|
Listowel |
675 |
|
Longford |
315 |
|
Macroom |
1,629 |
|
Mallow |
1,148 |
|
Midleton |
553 |
|
Monaghan |
458 |
|
Naas |
1,526 |
|
Nenagh |
798 |
|
New Ross |
815 |
|
Skibbereen |
766 |
|
Sligo |
2,842 |
|
Templemore |
637 |
|
Thurles |
782 |
|
Tipperary |
540 |
|
Tralee |
2,055 |
|
Trim |
160 |
|
Tullamore |
1,519 |
|
Westport |
1,361 |
|
Wexford |
1,652 |
|
Wicklow |
1,188 |
|
Youghal |
1,202 |
Includes an estimated figure for Main Road Upkeep Grant.
+These allocations include special grants for bridges, traffic surveys, etc.
†Does not include Main Road Upkeep Grant—see note below.
NOTES ON ABOVE:
1. The above figures do not include the amounts of the individual allocations in respect of Main Road Upkeep Grant. This grant is based on the provision made by the road authorities concerned for works of maintenance on main roads in the current financial year. Pending receipt and examination in the Department of details of such provision the amounts of the allocations to the individual road authorities cannot be determined and, accordingly, the difference between the amounts of the allocations in each case for the two years 1966-67 and 1968-69 cannot be stated.
2. In addition to the allocations shown, provision has been made for the allocation of a sum of £400,000 to the Dublin road authorities (Dublin County Council, Dublin Corporation and Dún Laoghaire Corporation) for the continuation of improvement works on the arterial routes in the Dublin area. This provision is a continuation of the policy initiated in 1947 and repeated in 1964 and 1967.
DONEGAL COUNTY COUNCIL:—
Road Fund Grant allocations for the year 1967-68—£529,851.
|
KILKENNY COUNTY COUNCIL:— |
1968-69 |
|
|
£ |
||
|
County Road Improvement |
25,480 |
|
|
Main Road Improvement |
52,000 |
|
|
Arterial Road Improvement |
90,000 |
|
|
LOUTH COUNTY COUNCIL:— |
||
|
Road Fund grant allocations:— |
||
|
1967-68 |
150,279 |
|
|
MAYO COUNTY COUNCIL:— |
1968-69 |
|
|
£ |
||
|
Main Road Improvement |
108,700 |
|
|
Tourist Roads |
55,000 |
|
|
County Road Improvement |
193,270 |
|
|
TIPPEARY SR COUNTY COUNCIL:— |
||
|
Amount allocated for road purposes:— |
||
|
1967-68 |
244,365 |
The 1967-68 figure includes an allocation of £200 (subject to a local contribution of £65) for Rural Employment Schemes which was devoted to road works. There was no allocation for Rural Employment Schemes in 1966-67. The allocations for Rural Employment Schemes for 1968-69 have not yet been determined.
CORK CORPORATION:—
Road Fund grant allocation for the year 1967-68: £81,731. Road mileage is not the determining factor for Road Fund Grant allocations to County Boroughs.
Whom does the Minister think he is bluffing with the statement he has just read out? Is he not aware, so far as Question No. 28 is concerned, that the road grants for County Cork were reduced by £127,800 for the year 1967-68 and that the allocation notified to Cork County Council for the current year shows no increase in main road or county road grants and an improvement of only £20,000 in arterial road grants? Is he not further aware that with the increase in the cost of wages and materials, as a result of his policy, road employment will be disrupted and that many roads scheduled for improvement in the current year in Cork, and possibly in other counties, will have to be removed from the list? Surely the Minister must take steps to ensure that the money taken from the Road Fund last year will be restored to it this year and grants proportionally allocated?
So far from there being a decrease in the allocation to Cork, there is an overall increase in the total amount, although the actual amount for the main road upkeep, as I said, is not yet available; and so far from my policy disrupting the road programme, the policy is designed to ensure that the inevitable disruption that was threatening the Road Fund as a result of the mishandling of the Road Fund by the previous Government will not develop again and that, instead, it will be possible to continue progressively improving our roads system.
Does the Minister mean Deputy Lemass's Government? It is a very serious thing to say about Deputy Lemass's Government—that it was mishandling the Fund.
The Coalition Government: I thank the Deputy. It is, of course, the Coalition Government I am referring to.
How many years ago? Ten years ago?
Order.
Are you so lazy that you cannot overtake what was done ten years ago? Is that what you are saying now?
No, I am not. I am referring to the necessity of ensuring that the Road Fund will never again be brought into such an insolvent position and that we will never again arrive at the state of affairs where it is impossible to pay to road authorities the money in respect of their existing commitments.
You will not have any say in that.
It is because we intend and expect to be administering the Road Fund next year and the year after, and for many years subsequent to that that we are ensuring that the Road Fund will not become insolvent, as it did under the Coalition Government.
Your only function will be to pay your car tax. That is as near as you will get to it.
Deputy Dunne must allow Questions to proceed.
Is it or is it not true that the Government have taken from the Road Fund last year £1 million and this year substantially more than £1 million for general Exchequer purposes and that this abstraction from the Road Fund of £1 million last year and more than £1 million in this year is the reason for the inadequacy of the Road Fund grants to local authorities?
The answer to Deputy Dillon's question is that it is not true.
It is true. You have taken £1 million last year and more than £1 million this year.
Deputy Dillon is thinking back to the time when he was a member of the Government——
Go fish. We all know it.
Can the Deputy not wait for the answer?
I know he is not telling the truth.
——in which time his colleague took £500,000 from the Road Fund and at the same time, purported to allocate almost £1½ million more from the Road Fund than was in it without taking account of the high level of commitments.
Go fish. You robbed the Road Fund last year and you robbed it this year and you know it.
This Government have never taken any money from the Road Fund but this Government, when they introduce benefits in the Budget, make arrangements to collect the money——
From the Road Fund.
——with which to finance them, by taxation.
From the Road Fund.
They take the responsibility of imposing the necessary taxes to finance the improvements in social welfare, assistance to agriculture, and so on, they make every year in the Budget.
You robbed the Road Fund last year of £1 million and of £1.3 million this year.
For the reasons I have given, Fianna Fáil Governments have continued for long periods while Coalition Governments last for a maximum of three years.
You robbed the Road Fund last year and you robbed it this year.
Is the Minister aware that when a comprehensive programme to provide the country with a modern system of roads was laid before Dáil Eireann in the year 1946, a leading member of the then Opposition charged the Government of the day with providing skating rinks for horses?
That was the year you would not give the road workers an increase of 1/-.
I am well aware of the attitude of Opposition Parties to progress with road improvement.
Is the Minister aware that, in the year 1948, a scheme for the widening of one of the main arteries out of this city to serve the south-eastern part of the country, that is to say, the Bray road, was proposed and that the Opposition, when they became the Government, dropped that scheme and that it cost £3 million to carry out works which would have cost £300,000 when first mooted?
I am so aware.
That was before the Minister had long trousers.
I remember it very well.
You robbed the Road Fund and that is the root of the trouble.
Does the Minister not agree that this is a very serious matter, that wages of road employees are likely to increase sharply during the current year, that it is likely that the cost of materials will increase and that other costs will increase? Is he not aware, then, that with no increase in the grants allocated, there is bound to be serious redundancy of road workers and there is bound to be a reference back of schemes that were to be carried out this year? To put all the questions together, for your convenience, will the Minister agree to accept a representative deputation from Cork County Council to discuss the seriousness of the position for Cork County Council as the members of the council, including members of his own Party, are very strongly of the opinion that unless this is done and unless some increase is made, the position in Cork will be, to put it mildly, very insecure so far as road workers and others are concerned?
In reply to the Deputy's question, which I think was contained in the earlier part of his speech, I do realise that this is a serious matter and that is why I deal with the Road Fund in a responsible way, unlike the Coalition Government. In so far as the question of increases or decreases is concerned, the fact of the matter is that there is an increase of £500,000 this year, which is a substantial increase, and not a decrease, as Deputy Murphy tries to make out.
Just to finish——
I am calling Question No. 38.
Excuse me for this once. The Minister said——
Question No. 38.
This matter is likely to be raised on the Adjournment.
Good.