Cuirim fáilte mhór roimh an Aire Stáit chuig an Teach seo ar maidin. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Ardagh, for taking time out of her busy schedule to be here. I appreciate that the topic of roads funding is not her area of expertise. Nevertheless, I appreciate her presence here and I have no doubt that she and I will be talking to the lead Minister about this very important issue.

The issue is the crisis in the condition of local roads in counties Monaghan and Cavan and, indeed, in many other parts of the country. In rural Ireland where we come from, the local road is essential to us to get about our daily business.

We do not have a train service or a Luas. We totally depend on the road network to get us from A to B, whether that is taking the children to school in the morning, going to work or travelling on the road for social purposes. The local road is the only show in town. Unfortunately, the condition of the local roads has been deteriorating for a long number of years, not helped in any measure by the inclement weather conditions with global warming that we are experiencing at the moment.

To give some substance and a platform to what I am about to explain to the Minister of State, a survey has been done nationally about the condition of the local roads, the findings of which are quite stark. In actual fact, the roads are graded based on condition on a chart from one to ten. One to four is classified as being "very poor" and five to six is "not great". It goes up as far as ten, which would be classified as "excellent". Unfortunately, Monaghan and Cavan have in excess of 400 km of road in the one-to-four bracket. It highlights that we have a serious problem in that the funding currently being received from central government is no way enough or adequate to address the problem. This is compounded by the fact that inflation on materials used in road construction has also experienced staggering increases in the last number of years. In the last five years, the cumulative percentage of inflation on materials amounts to something like 38.4% over that period. The increase in roads funding year on year for the previous five years amounts to 24.3%. Even though we are getting increases in road funding, we are actually getting less work done because we are getting less money.

There is a serious problem there and one that needs to be addressed. I have raised this issue on a number of occasions. The councillors in Monaghan and Cavan have raised this issue. The Government needs to act. It has become so serious now that if we do not act, we are getting to a point that some home helps are refusing to attend to their clients because the roads are nearly impassable. It is that serious and needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. I have spoken to the Minister. I raised it last night within our own parliamentary party with the Taoiseach and the Minister for public expenditure, Deputy Chambers, that we have got to a critical point and need additional funding. We need to make sure that we get increased funding specifically to give local authorities the flexibility to be able to tackle this chronic problem in Monaghan and Cavan, as well as many other counties throughout the length and breadth of the country.

I thank Senator Gallagher for raising this issue. I note he has raised it on many platforms, not just this good House. I also note his advocacy for our local roads, but especially how important it is for those living in rural parts of our country who do not have access to regular buses or light trams. I thank him for tabling this Commencement matter. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister for Transport. I will bring back any arguments the Senator has to him.

Local authorities are responsible, by statute, for the maintenance and improvement of the regional and local roads present in their respective areas of responsibility. Any work undertaken on these roads is funded by the resources of the local authority concerned and, where eligible, this is supplemented by the Department of Transport’s regional and local roads grant programme. The initial selection and prioritisation of work to be funded is a matter for local authorities. The regional and local roads grant programme is primarily targeted at the maintenance and renewal of our existing roads network, with the remainder invested in new roads, new bridges and road realignments. The funds available through this programme have been steadily increasing in recent years. For 2026, €718 million was made available, which will facilitate an increase of €26 million for road protection and renewal throughout Ireland. I note the Deputy's comments, however, in relation to material inflation and cost inflation.

The grant programme operated by the Department is focused on specific policy objectives. Restoration maintenance grants look to pavement sealing to protect the road surface from water damage. Restoration improvement grants look to road strengthening to lengthen the life of road pavements. The discretionary grants available allow for a range of activities, including pothole repair, edge strengthening, renewal of signs and lines and winter maintenance. These three grant programmes account for most of the funding available. The basis for determining the allocations for each local authority, under this grant programme, is related to the total number of kilometres of regional and local roads within their areas of responsibility. This is held as being the most equitable method of distribution. The current rate of inflation, level of population, or availability of other means of transport are not factors that are taken into consideration, but they probably should be.

For 2026, allocations were notified to local authorities on 17 February. Cavan and Monaghan County Councils were allocated over €19 million and over €17 million, respectively, with most of this funding directed towards protection and renewal. In addition to this, in 2024 and 2025, both Cavan and Monaghan County Councils received funding for several pilot projects relating to road materials and the Department is appreciative of the assistance provided in the delivery of onsite works under the reclaimed asphalt pavement project. It should be noted that Exchequer funding for regional and local roads is intended to supplement realistic contributions from local authorities’ own resources. As the statutory road authorities for their areas, it is open to local authorities to prioritise own-resource investment towards regional and local roads.

In addition to the funding provided under the regional and local roads grant programme, national roads were also provided funding. For 2026, Cavan and Monaghan County Councils were allocated €5.8 million and €10.1 million, respectively. This funding supports the maintenance and improvement and the progression of new roads projects. Owing to the damage caused by Storm Chandra earlier this year, while Cavan County Council did not seek any additional exceptional funding, Monaghan County Council was allocated €900,000. The difficulty in delivering road programmes within existing budgets is understood, as is the additional difficulty due to the variability in the market and the cost. While there may be existing provisions within existing contracts that can be utilised, ultimately it is a matter for local authorities to prioritise work and determine what can best be achieved with their existing budgets.

I thank the Minister of State for her response. I made the point in relation to the funding that both counties have received - €19 million and €17 million, respectively. Unfortunately, that has been totally eroded with the inflationary costs of materials. We are actually in a deficit before we even start. It has come to a point now where the Government is going to have to give flexibility to local authorities to be able to direct funds from other areas to roads funding because it is that serious. It is hugely frustrating. It is mental torture for people to have to travel through roads that are nearly impassable because they are damaging vehicles and all in the process. Until the Minister of State actually walks the walk, it is difficult to explain how totally frustrating and annoying that is. People who are paying their taxes are driving through roads that are not fit or passable. It has come to a point where it is a crisis situation and it needs a crisis response. I am hoping the Government will listen to my plea this morning.