Road damage estimated to be €180 million not €1 billion as Opposition cyncially claimed - Dooley

Fianna Fail TD for Clare and member of the Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Timmy Dooley, has blasted the Opposition for their "cynical scaremongering" in relation to the cost of repairing our local and regional roads.

"The Opposition have consistently claimed that the severe weather crisis earlier this year resulted in an astronomical €1billion worth of damage to our roads.

However, today’s announcement by the Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey that €411 million will be invested in the local and regional roads programme for 2010 highlights that the damage done to our roads as a result of severe weather events is €180 million not €1billion as originally claimed."

"The Opposition were completely wrong to say that the figure for fully repairing our roads as a result of the severe weather crisis would be in the region of €1billion. The Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey requested all local authorities to provide details of the extra costs incurred by them during the bad weather and to report on the scale of the damage caused by the bad weather conditions. Fine Gael and Labour are in control of the majority of county councils around the country, so they should have clearly known better."

"Under the 2010 programme, €188 million is being allocated for urgent repair of damage done to the regional and local road network under the Special Improvement Grant. It must be remembered that the €411 million in State grants are a supplement to expenditure by the local authorities."

"This year’s allocation of over €411 million will bring the total Exchequer investment since 1997 for the restoration and upgrading of regional and local roads by way of grants to over €6 billion. These grants represent a very significant investment at a time when public finances are under severe pressure," concluded Deputy Dooley.