asked the Minister for the Environment the criteria used in the allocation of funds to each county council under the local improvements scheme.
Written Answers. - Local Improvements Scheme.
264.
Mr. Leonard
The local improvements scheme partly replaced schemes of grants provided for under the former Employment and Emergency Schemes Vote from which the "western" counties benefited the most. Accordingly, it has been the practice down the years to allocate the major share of funds available under the local improvements scheme to these counties. Since 1981, when the scheme was adapted to take account of EEC aid available under the western package for farm road projects, it has been considered desirable to ensure that sufficient funds are devoted to eligible farm road projects in the "western" counties so that the EEC aid is fully taken up.
Subject to the foregoing considerations, and within the limits of the annual Vote provision for the scheme, the allocations to county councils are generally decided on the basis of a broad assessment of needs and the extent of dependence on the scheme over the years.