asked the Minister for Local Government if he is aware that the special main road construction grant for County Sligo has been reduced from £45,210 for the financial year ended 31st March, 1967 to £35,400 for the current year; and that the arterial road grant has been reduced from £45,000 last year to £20,000 for the current year; and if he will give the reason for such drastic reductions in view of the fact that there is no increase in either the county road construction grant or the tourist road grant.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Sligo Road Grants.
17.
The main and arterial road improvement grants notified to Sligo County Council for the current and the previous financial years respectively are as stated by the Deputy. I must point out, however, that the concept of an arterial road improvement grant was, like so many other inducements given to road authorities to assist in the financing of their roads programmes, introduced by the Fianna Fáil Government as from 1962-63.
I am not prepared, within the context of the Deputy's question, to gloss over the fact that the county road improvement and the tourist roads improvement grants notified to the council in respect of the current year have been maintained at last year's levels. The 1967-68 county road improvement grant of £79,310 is a very substantial allocation and compares very favourably with the grant of £58,700 made available by the Coalition Government in 1956-57, representing an increase of more than 33? per cent over that figure. The scheme of grants for improvements to tourist roads in the Gaeltacht and congested areas was also a Fianna Fáil concept and, whereas it was originally envisaged that it should last for a period of eight years, it has been continued in operation since the expiration of that period by successive Fianna Fáil Governments.
We have reached the end of the road now.
The Minister is reading from his notes for the chapel gate.
(Cavan): Is it not a fact that road grants in practically every county have been reduced this year by very substantial sums and that as a result, there will be considerable unemployment?
No, there will be very little effect, if any, on employment.
How are you going to pay the men?
There have been certain reductions in the overall amounts of grants and this was largely due to the fact that there was a shortfall in the income to the Road Fund last year.
(Cavan): A shortfall? The Minister took £1,211,000 out of it.
No.
You raided the kitty.
No money was taken out of it.
(Cavan): Of course there was.
No money was taken out of it.
There was £1¼ million taken out.
No.
Read the Book of Estimates.
There were extra taxes imposed in the Budget last year in order to provide certain benefits that were provided in that Budget. There was no money taken out of the Road Fund.
The Minister raided the Road Fund.
The Deputy is thinking of 1956-57.
This question has reference to roads in Sligo.
The Minister raided the Road Fund and he ought to admit it.
In view of what the Minister said, that the county road improvement and tourist roads improvement grants were maintained in the county referred to in the question, would he explain how it was that in county Meath, where there is neither a tourist road nor county road, he reduced grants by £29,900 and for the last two years took away £100,000 of the county road grants?
These arterial road grants cannot be decided on the basis of individual counties. They are decided on the need for works on arterial roads.
You are ringing the changes.
(Cavan): It is only by Parliamentary Question that we can get information.