The 1999 Estimates provision of £336 million for the improvement and maintenance of national roads, which represents an increase of 17 per cent over 1998, was determined having regard to: the policy framework for the improvement of national roads as set out in the Operational Programme for Transport 1994-9 and to which regional interests, and through them local authorities, had an input; information in relation to commitments on schemes in progress available from the NRA, and assessments undertaken by the NRA such as the national roads needs study, of investment needs in the national roads network.
The NRA has been assigned the role of planning and supervising the national roads programme and of allocating grants for that purpose to local authorities. Discussions on individual annual national road allocations are therefore appropriately conducted between the NRA and local authorities and my Department has no involvement in them.
The process of preparing the National Development Plan 2000-2006 involves a major input from regional interests. Local authorities have had the opportunity to contribute to these regional submissions in relation to national roads and other matters of concern to them.