I thank you, Sir, for allowing me raise this matter on the Adjournment and the Minister for coming in to respond.
Serious road problems in County Cavan have been well documented but, unfortunately, no progress will be made in the county this year because of the inadequate funding provided by the Government. The reality is that the allocation to Cavan County Council for regional and county roads has been reduced substantially from the 1994 figure of £4.641 million to £4.085 million for 1995. The picture is much gloomier when one considers that, within this year's allocation, there is included INTERREG funding of £1.3 million. Excluding that INTERREG funding, the 1995 allocation, represents a decrease of almost 40 per cent on that provided in 1994. Yet, we were given continuous assurances that the INTERREG funding would be additional to the normal Exchequer allocation.
Therefore, it is totally unacceptable that the Minister should severely cut the allocation to the Border counties and thereafter offset those cuts, in part only, by INTERREG funding, originally designated as additional funding for Border counties. The purpose of the INTERREG programme is to provide additional resources for Border areas, not to substitute for national expenditure.
Road allocations by this Government indicate a total disregard for rural Ireland, particularly for the Border counties where there is an urgent need to upgrade the road network. Since the cessation of violence we have received numerous assurances from members of the Government, Government Departments and State agencies that funding designated for development in Border counties would be additional to the normal Exchequer contribution. It has been accepted, particularly since the cessation of violence in Northern Ireland, that a new urgency exists in regard to the need to remedy the serious infrastructural deficiencies in the Border region. The INTERREG II programme designated for that purpose is, in effect, being raided by the Government for other purposes.
No presentation of figures can disguise the fact that the national provision for non-national roads for 1995 represents a significant decrease on the 1994 allocation. When one considers that total Government expenditure increased by 8 per cent this year, it is evident that the interests and concerns of this Government do not stretch to rural Ireland. Government expenditure has increased substantially while the allocation for non-national roads, particularly in Border counties, decreased substantially. It is interesting to note that the Government decided to increase funding for non-national roads in the Dublin area only.
The Minister's predecessors in the Department of the Environment accepted that particular problems were experienced in Border counties, such as Cavan, and that they had a special case in regard to funding. There were increases in funding in recent years, progress was made on strengthening and improving the non-national road network in County Cavan and, with this Government being offered every opportunity to substantially increase the funding in the 1995 allocation, it was expected that further substantial and necessary progress would be made. The people had every reason to expect a substantial increase on the 1994 allocation in view of the healthy state of the public finances, the increase in public expenditure, the public commitments made by the Government and the European Union to a regeneration of the Border economy, the additional mileage of roads as a result of the reopening of cross-Border roads needing substantial repairs and the long spell of bad weather which adversely affected the conditions of roads.
In his reply to my parliamentary question last week, the Minister stated that the Government had sought a report. To my knowledge the local authorities — particularly Cavan County Council — have drawn up a substantial report on the condition of regional and county roads and the means and funding needed to bring them up to an acceptable standard, a standard to which the people are entitled. More reports are not needed, the urgent and essential requirement is more funding.
There is an unanswerable case for increased investment in regional and county roads. Such investment is vital from numerous points of view, such as the need to reduce costs for industry, tourism, agriculture and road users generally. It has been accepted nationally and at European Union level that the Border areas suffered immeasurably over the past 25 years due to the troubles in Ulster. To attract inward investment and tourists and to provide employment locally we need a decent and acceptable road network. Rural regeneration and development will not take place if the necessary funding for our rural road network is not provided. Rural decay will spread faster and more widely.
We must acknowledge the advanced state of the Border counties on the northern side in terms of infrastructure, roads and urban renewal. The greatest impediment to private investment in the southern Border counties is the total inadequacy of our roads and general infrastructure. The people of Cavan, Monaghan and other rural areas deserve proper access to their homes, farms and work places. They are paying taxes, are contributing significantly to the general economic wellbeing of the country and are entitled to have the serious road problems which beset their everyday life addressed.
I appeal to the Minister to provide substantial additional funding to Cavan County Council at the earliest possible date. The funding provided already will not enable the council to carry out the essential and much needed roadwork schemes in 1995. Every age group, from schoolgoing children to senior citizens, is harshly affected by the condition of our roads. I thank the Minister for coming into the House to respond and hope he will be able to give me good news this evening for the good people of County Cavan.
