Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher Leas Cheann Comhairle has expressed his shock that the Government has made no funding available for the improvement of 22 island roads in Donegal.
The Fianna Fáil TD called on Roinn na Gaeltachta to review the decision not to fund any of the Donegal Islands under the Islands Capital programme for road improvements.
The Council proposed to carry out improvements on 22 different roads spread out over the different Donegal Islands as part of their multi annual roads improvement programme and provided estimates for the works.
Pat the Cope expressed his disappointment on how all the Donegal Islands were left off the Government funding programme: “It defies logic as to how the Donegal Islands were ignored by the Government particularly in the context that many of these roads are in such poor state of repair at present.
Pat the Cope Gallagher
“Indeed some of these Islands were recently visited by various Government representatives so first-hand knowledge of the state of the roads infrastructure on the islands should have been known to them when the decision was being made.
“The entire programme of road improvements for the Donegal Islands is estimated at €3.2 million should the council propose to Bitmac the roads or €1.149 million should the council wish to tar and chip the various roads – either way the fact that no funding was made available for any of the 22 roads proposed is a very worrying departure from the norm whereby all islands off the coast of Ireland are treated equally or pro rata to the their respective populations when funding is being allocated.
Pat the Cope has requested Roinn na Gaeltachta to immediately allocate a funding package for the Donegal Islands for this current year. He asked the government to agree a multi annual programme of roads improvements in order to deal with the current backlog of Island roads awaiting funding and improvements.
“The current situation whereby 22 island roads are awaiting grant approval in order to carry out much needed roads works is just not acceptable – action needs to be taken immediately.
“The island communities of Donegal are equal with the Islands communities of anywhere else in our coastal communities – but that did not seem to be the case when the funding was allocated last week.
“This needs to be addressed and I am calling on the Government to allocate funding for the Donegal Islands on a co-equal basis with all other island communities especially those which have already received funding in this year’s capital plan,” concluded Pat the Cope.
Tags: