Ó Súilleabháin Presses Government on Delayed Emergency Funding for Storm-Damaged Rural Roads

Wexford-Wicklow TD Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin has called on the Government to urgently release promised emergency funding to repair rural roads damaged by Storm Claudia, warning that road conditions across both counties continue to deteriorate and pose serious safety concerns for motorists.

The Deputy said he has repeatedly raised the issue since his election to the Dáil and throughout his 10-and-a-half years as a member of Wexford County Council, describing the state of rural roads as a long-running problem that requires immediate action.

According to Deputy Ó Súilleabháin, motorists are facing increasing frustration as road surfaces worsen, leading to higher vehicle repair costs and growing concerns about road safety for those who rely on rural roads every day.

"This is not a new problem," he said. "It is time for the Government to address the reality facing rural road users who are paying significant road and property taxes while driving on roads that are crumbling around them."

The Deputy said the promised emergency funding is now long overdue and stressed that the current spell of favourable weather presents an ideal opportunity for local authorities to carry out essential repair works.

Wicklow County Council has estimated that €15.6 million is required to address emergency storm-related damage to its rural road network alone — a figure that exceeds the county's entire three-year roads programme budget.

In County Wexford, a detailed submission made to the Department more than two years ago outlined that at least €194 million would be needed to bring the county's rural roads up to what could be considered an acceptable standard. Deputy Ó Súilleabháin believes a further €20 million is required to address damage linked directly to Storm Claudia.

The Deputy has also questioned the current model used to allocate road funding, arguing that counties should receive funding based on the condition of their roads rather than the length of their road network.

"If funding continues to be allocated on a pro-rata basis, counties with well-maintained roads will continue to receive similar levels of support, while counties such as Wexford and Wicklow, which have some of the worst road conditions in the country, will fall even further behind," he said.

He described the current funding model as outdated and inappropriate, pointing to disparities highlighted in national inter-county comparisons.

Deputy Ó Súilleabháin said he regularly experiences the poor condition of roads firsthand while travelling through rural areas of north Wexford and south Wicklow.

He is now seeking clarification from the Department on how it intends to tackle the growing crisis facing rural communities and has called for confirmation of when the promised emergency funding will be released to allow local authority engineers to begin the necessary repair works.

"The people who live on and use these roads every day deserve answers," he said. "The funding needs to be released so that local authorities can get on with the job before conditions deteriorate even further next winter."