asked the Minister for the Enviornment if it is the intention of his Department to provide a footpath from Listowel to Dirha Cottages in County Kerry.
Ceisteanna — Questions Oral Answers. - Listowel (Kerry) Road Improvement.
12.
As the road in question is a non-national main road, the cost of any improvement works would, in accordance with normal practice, fall to be financed by the local authority concerned from their own resources. The local authority may, at their discretion, use the block grant for roads paid annually by my Department to supplement any expenditure from their own resources on such roads.
In 1984, Kerry County Council submitted proposals to my Department for the improvement of the Listowel/ Ballybunion road, including the provision of footpaths, in the vicinity of Dirha Cottages. In February 1985, the Department informed the local authority that special road grant assistance was not being provided to meet the cost of the work. Because of constraints in public expenditure and other priority road schemes, it is not possible to pay a special road grant in this case.
Would the Minister take Question No. 54 with this question as basically it deals with the same problem?
That is a rather unusual request.
While of course I have the reply to Question No. 54 I have to say that it relates to an entirely different matter, a sewerage scheme.
We must continue to deal with Question No. 12.
At the last meeting of Kerry County Council a deputation from Dirha Cottages attended and, unfortunately, the impression was given that an application was with the Minister. I am sure that if there is no such application that one will appear in the very near future. I would ask the Minister to give this application very serious and sympathetic consideration as this stretch of road must be the most dangerous stretch of road in the country. Over the past ten years 20 people have been killed while over 50 have been maimed or incapacitated in some fashion. Scarcely a family living within the estate have not been affected. I would like the Minister to give this application very serious consideration because the local authority do not have the funds to carry out the necessary repairs.
The Deputy has made his point.
When he is sanctioning the sewerage scheme shortly, I would ask the Minister to give some consideration to providing funding for the footpath in question.
The first application for the footpath was made in 1984. Nobody could find it in his heart to deal with this sympathetically up to now, but maybe I will be the one.
Will the Minister confirm that it is his intention to visit Cork tomorrow to inspect the flood damage in the area, and will he take into account the special problem of Fermoy and Mallow?
Please, Deputy O'Keeffe.
(Interruptions.)
They have finally realised that there was a flood in Cork, two days late.
I am calling Question No. 13.
I am going to the southwest tomorrow. I would have gone today except that I was involved in Question Time in the Dáil and there are those who would have been unkind enough to say I was still missing if I had been absent from the House today.
Will the Minister take in Dunmanway and Bantry?
I am going down tomorrow to look at what has been freely talked about here and in the media for the past day or two. I will make a personal assessment and will be as helpful as I can.
(Interruptions.)
Deputies are out of order.