asked the Minister for Local Government if he is aware of the poor state of some of the roads leading to the Six County Border; and if he will provide special grants to enable local authorities to bring these roads up to the standard of the cross-Border roads with which they connect.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Border Roads.
36.
The grant allocations to local authorities from the Road Fund are designed to cater for all the important road demands in their areas, including, in the case of Border counties, cross-Border roads. The Road Fund allocations for 1974, when related to a full financial year, represent a significant increase on last year.
Has the Minister any figures available as to the number of roads or has he particulars in regard to the condition of roads leading up to the Border, apart from those that might be regarded as primary roads? Is he aware that some of those roads give us a rather poor shop window——
I would agree with Deputy Brennan that the condition of those roads has been allowed to deteriorate and that they require a lot of money to be spent on them. Le cúnamh Dé, it will be spent on them in the next few years. The condition of those roads has been allowed to drop over the years. I am sure Deputy Brennan was referring to M.13, Letter-Kenny-Newtowncunningham-the Derry Border. I would point out that the amount of money allocated from the Road Fund to County Donegal in 1972-73 was £65,000, in 1973-74, £200,000 and for the nine months of 1974 it is £210,800. That is equivalent to £269,000 in 1964. We are making an effort to provide the money to do this work which I agree should be done.
The Minister told them yesterday to spend the money on coast erosion.
Is the Minister aware that this is a special category? I am talking about roads such as that leading from Fermanagh through Pettigo to Donegal which is in a horrible state and requires special treatment. If, as the Minister ordained in his answer yesterday, Donegal County Council are to take money from the fund for ordinary roads to carry out repairs to storm damage, there will be very little left for any of the roads.
Deputy Brennan must remember the years of neglect of those roads and surely he does not expect that in one year we should be able to restore them. We are doing our best.
Just carry on the road programme.
The Minister is well aware that additional money was put into——
You let them go bad and you cannot get them repaired overnight.