Deputy Charlie McConalogue has condemned the dramatic reduction in funding for road works in Co Donegal this year, describing it as ‘yet another example of the Government’s disregard for the needs of Donegal communities’.
Charlie McConalogue TD
The Fianna Fáil Deputy was commenting on the news that Donegal County Council will receive less than €9.5 million this year for road projects. That’s down by over €10 million from Donegal’s allocation of €19.5 million in 2011.
“Once again Donegal has lost out on its fair share of central funding for vital infrastructure projects. The further reduction in funding for road projects in Donegal this year means we are down €2 million on last year. That’s €12 million less than the allocation in 2012 and €10 million less than the allocation in 2011,” explained Deputy McConalogue.
The Inishowen Deputy said irony is that Donegal is in greater need of investment in transport infrastructure than most other counties in this country.
“As if it wasn’t enough that the funding commitments to the crucial A5 Derry to Aughnacloy project were revoked due to a lack of political will, other smaller but important road projects here will now go undone this year because Donegal County Council has not been given a fair allocation of central funding.
“Why is it that Donegal is consistently expected to bear the brunt of cuts to local services and supports? We have seen a raft of cuts to our community services over the past three years – the closure of local garda stations, cuts to local health services, funding cuts for schools, the threatened closure of small schools, small businesses forced to shut down because they cannot get the support they need. Meanwhile, there has been a dramatic reduction in IDA visits to Donegal over the past two years while other regions have benefited from increased IDA support.
“Donegal seems to be on the wrong end of a two-tier recovery in this country. We hear about a recovery in Dublin, but there are less jobs, less services and less supports in Donegal. People and communities are suffering. The Government’s treatment of Donegal communities has been appalling. We need to start seeing the Government representatives in Donegal stand up for this county and ensure that it gets its fair share of investment.”