Cabinet Committees
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-10
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Peter 'Chap' Cleere (FF), Carlow-Kilkenny

A huge number of rural roads in Carlow-Kilkenny have been absolutely destroyed in the past couple of weeks due to the torrential rainfall and serious flooding in the area. This has resulted in serious potholes and, in many cases, complete disintegration of road surfaces, making them impassable. In some cases, there are potholes so big you could lose a small child in them. I am asking the Taoiseach and the Government to provide additional once-off emergency funding to those counties which have been so desperately affected by the storm.
There are lots of roads that are in brutal condition, some still impassible, and they need complete reconstruction. At the weekend, when driving in places like Drummin, St. Mullins, Spahill, Glynn, Tomduff, Ballyglisheen and Knocksquire, I saw that all of the roads had been seriously damaged. Many of these are local roads with high agricultural volumes but these routes serve as the only route for many rural residents. They are vital for vulnerable residents. They are school bus routes and there are also access requirements for milk lorries and other essential services. Could additional emergency funding be made available separate from the additional funding for roadworks?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-10/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:36+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-10