asked the Minister for Local Government if he will arrange for adequate finance to complete the national secondary road improvement at Fontstown, Athy, County Kildare, as the present unfinished condition of the work constitutes a road hazard.
8.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Kildare Roads.
7.
andMr. Molloy asked the Minister for Local Government if he will make money available to bring the national primary roads in County Kildare up to a reasonable standard.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 8 together.
The total of the Road Fund grants already notified to road authorities including an allocation of £485,500 to Kildare County Council comprises the net income of the Road Fund for the current year. In the circumstances now obtaining, I have asked councils to give priority to safeguarding the employment of road workers by using their resources as far as practicable on labour intensive works. It is up to the councils to determine their own priorities in road works within the general guidelines which I have indicated and, accordingly, it is open to them to decide whether it is appropriate to expend further moneys this year on the Fontstown scheme.
Did the Minister refer to a letter from the county engineer and the county manager of Kildare County Council of 4th February in which the county engineer pointed out that the money being granted did not reach anything remotely approaching the required level and in which the county manager indicated that unless we got a bigger grant employees of Kildare County Council would have to be let go? Has he referred to that fact? Is he further aware that a member of his own party, a Deputy and a councillor, has expressed the opinion that this road in Fontstown is in a very dangerous condition and will he indicate in what way normal planning and continuity of work for men and machinery could possibly be carried out with the stop-go policy he is now operating and does he not agree——
Brevity, Deputy.
Does he agree that this unfinished road is a permanent monument to the bankruptcy of the present Government?
If someone wants to make a case for increased grants, he is entitled to make a reasonable case for them, if he feels he has got such a case, and not like the old story—if you have not got a good case abuse your opponent—and Deputy Power, not having a good case, thinks the best thing he can do is to hurl some abuse at the holder of this office. As far as Kildare County Council are concerned, I understand the county engineer expressed a different view at a recent meeting of the council. I am sure Deputy Power was there.
I was there.
The county engineer expressed a different view and did not suggest there was any danger of road workers being laid off. Secondly, the block grant given now can be used by Kildare County Council on any job on which they wish to use it. As far as stop-go is concerned, there has been a consistently high amount of money given to Kildare County Council and would Deputy Power please understand I am not responsible for the treatment Kildare roads got over the last 12 years. I am responsible only for the last three years.
I would ask the Minister to accept the fact that the views I have expressed here are not Fianna Fáil views. They are reasoned views expressed by a good county engineer and by a county manager——
A question, please, Deputy.
Is the Minister aware that the money we are getting in Kildare falls far short of our needs? We carry three-quarters of the traffic of Ireland and has the Minister made any allowance for that? Has he finally decided now we are not getting any more money this year?
Deputy, I have appealed for brevity.
Why is it when members of his own party ask him to meet a deputation with regard to the allocations of moneys for Kildare he has not yet done so?
Because of the fact that the moneys available were allocated and Kildare got a fair share and I cannot understand why it is not understood by Deputies from all over the country that the amount of money which they are getting is so much more than they were getting over the years.
The Minister is like Mother Hubbard.
In view of the Minister's statement that the amount they are getting now is more than they were getting, how far short of the total take on road taxation and petrol taxes is the amount that is now being granted to the roads?
I can tell Deputy Blaney that a very much higher percentage of it is going than when he was Minister for Local Government.
I challenge the Minister to produce the facts and let him stop the cute answers.
The Deputy should put down a question.
Would the Minister accept that much more money is going into the Exchequer from Kildare road grants than is being spent there?
No. No money is going into the Exchequer from road grants in Kildare or anywhere else.
I wish to give notice of my intention to raise this matter on the Adjournment.
I will communicate with the Deputy.