I, too, welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Wallace, and thank him for taking this matter on the Adjournment.
The reason I raise this matter is due to the condition of the roads in the north Kerry region. I compliment the Minister, Deputy Dempsey, and Ministers of State, Deputies Dan Wallace and Molloy at the Department of the Environment and Local Government on the increased allocation of money this year through the National Roads Authority and through the discretionary and restoration grants. They must be highly commended, the increase must be welcomed by local authorities. I welcome what the Minister of State said about improving all county and non-national roads by the year 2006 and that primary routes will have proper standards by the year 2019.
I was prompted to raise this matter because of the high level of rainfall in the county, particularly northern Kerry. Because of the high level of rainfall during the past 12 months there has been extensive flood damage. Roads which were repaired in recent years have been almost washed away. It has been reported that rainfall in the past 12 months was 25 per cent higher than last year. I assure the Minister that for every drop of rain which falls in this country, the west coast of Kerry gets the brunt of it. There are floods almost every day of the week. When there is heavy rainfall everyone knows the roads that will be flooded.
I put down a motion in my council, but it asked me to raise the matter here because it is of the opinion that, as I am in a position of power, I should be in a position to address the problem. The council said that if money was provided, the flooding problem could be solved. As roads cannot be maintained in a proper condition unless they are drained, I ask the Minister to allocate a once-off grant to open up drains, trenches and new waterways so our roads can be in a reasonable condition.
I welcome the new initiatives and incentives introduced by the Minister through the road tax. I am glad this money is being put into the roads and the rewards can be seen. I travel the length and breadth of the country, but I cannot understand why the roads in Kerry do not have as good a surface as those in other parts of the country. I appeal to the Minister for a once-off grant, particularly for northern parts of the country, which could be put to good use.
The Minister stated on numerous occasions that we will have to get matching funds in the future. We would love to be able to do this, but how can it be done? The tourism season in the north of the country is getting shorter, while the east and Killarney is definitely improving. Approximately £9 million has been allocated for primary routes this year, which will be spent in the east and around Killarney, the northern part of Kerry is being left aside. Visitors to our county have to use our roads and they are not getting a good impression because of them. If every tourist was charged £1 or £2, this problem could be solved. Something must be done for the northern part of Kerry.
