Danny Healy-Rae calls for rollover funds for Kerry road schemes
Danny Healy-Rae spoke about funding for local roads and improvement projects in Kerry, urging that unspent monies be rolled over to complete outstanding works. He said he supports the bill if the minister ensures leftover funds are directed to both the local improvement scheme and the emergency hardship scheme.
Rollover funds request
He asked that money from uncompleted projects be allowed to transfer into the next year so that work interrupted by quarantine or delays can be finished, and stated he is in favour of the bill on that condition.
Backlog of local improvement applications
He outlined a backlog in Kerry, saying there are 676 local improvement scheme entries on a list, noting that 11 schemes were done last year and 19 this year. He highlighted about 90 old applications dating from 2006 and 2007 that were lumped in with 2018 applications and remain waiting.
Emergency hardship scheme concerns
He described an emergency hardship scheme intended to repair roads used by visiting nurses, doctors and home helps, and said that for the last four or five years there has been effectively no funding for those roads.
Appeal to the minister and local impact
He appealed directly to the minister to direct any leftover monies toward both the local improvement scheme and the emergency hardship scheme, and made the request on behalf of the people of Kerry.
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Thanks very much, Cahil, our last one caller. Just what I want to ask the Minister is that part of this bill is to deal with ensuring that money can be rolled over from projects that are uncompleted and, you know, able to be carried out in the quarantine and that it can be transferred to next year. So I'm putting in my mistake, Minister, that any money, that is our monies that are left over, we have 676 local improvement schemes on a list below in Kerry. And at the rate we're going, we did 11 last year and 19 this year. And it is totally unfair and those people, and in that, the makeup of that 676, there's 90 or so old applications from going back as far as 2006 and 2007, that were lumped in with the applications that went in 2018. And she's very wrong. Many of them are still waiting, Minister. And what I'm asking is that he ensure, or any money that's hanging around, directed towards the local improvement schemes in Kerry. There's another aspect of the local improvement scheme. There's another aspect of the local improvement scheme. It was called an emergency hardship scheme. If there was people that were sick in the road where nurses or doctors or home helps would be visiting and at the road visiting that patient, there was a scheme to deal with those roads. There was a scheme always to deal with those people and to help those people. For the last four or five years, we've got no bob for them kind of roads at our Minister. So, we're in dire straits and I know that money gets left behind. So, I'm in favour of this bill if he can ensure that he'll direct any monies that are left over towards that scheme, those two schemes, the local improvement scheme and the emergency hardship scheme. And I appreciate it on behalf of the people of Kerry, Minister. Thank you very much.
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