asked the Minister for Local Government if he is aware that many county roads in County Dublin are now very inadequate having regard to the weight and volume of traffic on these roads; and if he will make a county road improvement grant available sufficient to bring these roads up to proper standards.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Dublin Roads.
24.
The Road Fund grants for 1970-71 have been allocated to the various road authorities on the basis of most pressing needs, and include very substantial allocations to Dublin County Council. While, for reasons I have indicated in reply to previous questions by the Deputy, these do not include a specific allocation for county road improvement, it is open to the council to proceed with such work out of moneys which they provide from their own funds for road work, including the substantial sum made available to them for general road purposes by the increase in the grant for the maintenance of national primary routes from 50 per cent to 100 per cent.
How can the Minister justify Dún Laoghaire Corporation and Dublin Corporation being entitled to an urban road improvement grant while County Dublin, which carries the same traffic, if not more, is not entitled to such a grant? There are roads in County Dublin which are turning into laneways because they are not able to carry the volume of traffic. It will require a considerable sum to bring them up to the standard they should be at.
County Dublin gets a very substantial grant from the Road Fund but because improvement work to the county roads is practically completed it does not get a specific allocation for this purpose. I am well aware that some of the county roads are deteriorating because the county council has allowed development to take place on these roads which has meant that these roads have been subjected to traffic which they were not designed to bear. If the county council insists on allowing this to happen it is the county council's responsibility to bring the roads up to the required standard.
It is the Minister's responsibility to give fair play to the county.
Practically 99 per cent of Dublin County Council's county road programme is complete. In those circumstances it would be completely unjust to give Dublin County Council a specific allocation for county road improvement purposes when there are counties such as Mayo where the percentage of roads brought up to standard is less than 40 per cent.
All the Minister means by the words "brought up to standard" is waterproofing and tarma-cadaming?
That is the correct purpose of the scheme.
The roads might only be the width of one vehicle and totally inadequate underneath and the Minister knows very well that they are totally inadequate.
If they are totally inadequate for that type of traffic the county council should not allow the development which generates that traffic to take place, unless they are prepared to bring the roads up to standard.
That is an irresponsible attitude.
While I welcome the Minister's reference to Mayo may I ask him if he can justify the haulage of ores from the Tynagh mines in County Galway by road——
The question relates to County Dublin.
With respect, the Minister has said that due to development in the County Dublin area this congestion arises.
The question relates to roads in County Dublin; roads outside the county do not arise under this question.
But the Minister has referred to Mayo.
The Deputy may not proceed along this road at all.
I shall not allow Deputy Clinton to take any money from County Mayo.