Danny Healy-Rae demands urgent funding for rural roads and broadband
Danny Healy-Rae urged immediate investment in rural Kerry, focusing on broadband, mobile coverage, roads and local services. He called for increased funding for the Local Improvement Scheme, more rural cottages, expanded bus services and restored water grants.
Broadband and mobile coverage
Healy-Rae criticised the slow broadband roll-out and poor mobile phone coverage across the county, saying promises made over five years have not been realised. He described patchy service in places named in the speech, noting airports and several rural areas remain without reliable coverage.
Local Improvement Scheme backlog and funding
Healy-Rae highlighted a backlog of 750 applications for the Local Improvement Scheme in Kerry, with only around €700,000 allocated this year and just ten roads completed. He warned the current funding rate would take decades to clear the list and asked the minister to provide funding sufficient to complete 100 roads.
Rural cottages shortfall
Healy-Rae said only 13 rural cottages are to be built in Kerry between 2016 and 2021, calling the figure "a crying out shame." He said he raised the issue with the minister and with Kerry County Council, where responsibility has been shifted between authorities.
Rural transport and bus services
Healy-Rae pressed for more rural transport, specifically two additional runs between Kinmear and Killarney in the morning and late at night. He emphasised that new bus services will not operate without targeted funding and referenced the current government environment as a moment to act.
Group water schemes and grant cuts
Healy-Rae warned group water schemes are in trouble and criticised a cut in the well-treatment grant from €2,200 to €1,000. He thanked the former minister for restoring the Local Improvement Scheme and reiterated his plea for proper funding and for the minister to visit Kerry to see the roads firsthand.
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Thank you very much Ciancola, my time is very short, but I'll start with the broadband. I'm listening since I came up here five years ago now that broadband was being rolled out and we have another new news now, broadband Ireland and this plan, but it hasn't hit carry yet I can tell you Ciancola and I suppose we're very far away if they're rolling I'd say they're only around the corner now because we seem to be as far away as ever from getting broadband. Mobile phone coverage is a disaster all over the county, you know, many parts of it. If we get off the plane in Fatton 4, the planes aren't running now but when we did, the three roads out of Fatton 4, no coverage in any apartment. Places like Mastergean, Kilcombe and no broadband. The LIS scheme, you mentioned it earlier in your speech Minister Humphreys and I have to remind you that it's not for private roads as such, it's for public roads that were never taken in charge by the County Council and in Kerry we have 750 applications now for local improvement scheme and we got 700 and something thousand euros this year. which did 10 roads. So there's a savage amount of roads on the list and I'm working out that way to go and to be 40 or 50 years before the local improvement scheme list is wiped out in Kerry. I'm asking you to please give enough for 100 roads because the people in Kerry and rural Kerry are entitled to a good road to their door, the very same as the people in Dublin 4. Rural cottages Minister, we are only going to build 13 rural cottages in Kerry from 2016 to 2021. That's a shame, a crying out shame. When I raise it here with Damien English, I raise it below with Kerry County Council, one of them is blaming the other but the facts are 13 rural cottages in five years, that's not fair play. I'm calling for more rural transport and bus to carry out, to put new services in place for places like early and late at night from Kinmear to Killarney. People are talking about people using public transport. Now is your time, the Greens are in power and this is what they are spelling out. We want a run, two more runs from Kinmear to Killarney in the morning and late at night and put your money for your motors. These buses won't run without money. Group water schemes are in serious trouble. We are not getting funding for them. And the treatment of wells, the money for that, the grant for that was reduced from 2,200 to 1,000 euros, more than a quarter and a half. How is that fair play? Minister, I have the utmost respect for you and I wish you well. I want to thank Michael Ring, the former Minister, for bringing back the Local Improvement Scheme. I am calling you now to put funding, a proper amount of funding into the Local Improvement Scheme. As I said to you, the people in Kerry are entitled to a good road to their door, the same as everyone else. Thank you very much. Maybe you would bring the Minister down to Kerry and bring her on a tour of some of those roads. I am sure she would love to go. I am sure she would love to go.
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