asked the Minister for the Environment if his attention has been drawn to the situation whereby Dublin County Council members have recently been circulated with a list of omissions from the council's maintenance and traffic budgets which represents a serious set-back in the council's overall programme to maintain and improve the main and county roads systems, that members have been advised that serious concern is also created by the level of special grants needed by the council to cope with the construction of roads in the new towns and the requirement for up-grading the standard of the existing network which is inadequate for the ever increasing traffic burden, and the statement made to members that it is obvious that these road schemes cannot be implemented in the foreseeable future within the council's own resources and that the block grant cannot be utilised for this purpose as suggested by his Department in a number of instances, and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Dublin Roads.
I have not seen the council documents referred to by the Deputy.
I have allocated a total of £6.04 million in road grants to Dublin County Council for 1980, which compares with £5.16 million for 1979, or an increase of 17 per cent. It represents over 11 per cent of all road grant allocations notified to local authorities this year and maintains the significant improvement made in the level of grants available to the council since 1976. The grants to the council for 1980 represent an increase of over 200 per cent on the corresponding grants allocated in 1976.
Is the Minister aware that the report from our engineering department presented to Dublin County Council, a copy of which I shall make available directly to the Minister, says that it represents a serious setback in the council's overall programme to maintain and improve the council's main and county road system? Examples are given here that no allocation has been received for the Santry by-pass airport road, no grant has been received in respect of traffic management——
The Deputy cannot quote at Question Time.
—— and improvement of national primary roads in the county and that the special provision in 1979 which was given to us for maintenance work on the national primary network in the county area has not been repeated and that, in that light, Dublin County Council's road system is in very grave jeopardy at the moment?
I should be glad if the Deputy would let me have that report. From the year 1976 to 1980 there has been a 200 per cent increase. In 1976 the allocation was £1,971,500 and this year it is £6,042,000. That is a significant increase over the years. I am satisfied that we are making a very worthwhile contribution.
May I ask the Minister if he would estimate for the House how many miles of dual carriageway could be built at current prices for just over £6 million?
That is a separate question.
That is a separate question, Deputy.
Would the Minister accept that if the entire road allocation for Dublin County were devoted to one strip of road, all that that grant would build would be two miles of dual carriageway? How does that compare with the express undertaking given by the last Taoiseach, and transmitted and circulated in that constituency three days before the Election, to build a link road 15 miles long and do it at once?
If the Deputy puts down a question on that matter I shall be only too glad to give him the information.
We are black in the face putting down questions on it.
May I ask a final supplementary? Is the Minister aware that in the next fortnight Dublin County Council will be obliged due to lack of funds to lay off 80 workers and that, this being part of the environmental roads work allocation, at this time early on in the allocation year these 80 workers are not likely to thank the Minister for what has been a very sparse allocation from the Road Fund this year. If I make the report available to the Minister, would he consider having a look at it?
Yes. I am not aware of 80 workers becoming unemployed.