asked the Minister for the Environment if he will allocate a substantial increase in the block grant to Kerry County Council in 1986 for the improvement of the county roads which have deteriorated considerably in recent years; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Road Grants.
83.
The block grant allocations to individual local authorities for 1986 will be determined following the settlement of the budgetary provision for road grants for 1986. Primary responsibility for the planning and execution of improvement works on county roads rests with the local authorities. The expenditure involved falls to be financed by the local authorities from their own resources which may be supplemented by the block grant for roads paid annually by my Department. The block grant may also be used, in the case of county councils, for the improvement, maintenance and management of non-national main roads and for the implementation of traffic management measures. The disposition of the block grant, including the extent, if any, to which it is to be applied to improvement works on county roads, is a matter entirely for each local authority.
This year, the block grant allocation to local authorities was increased by 10 per cent compared with 1984. Earlier this year, I announced that a grant of up to 75 per cent of the cost will be paid towards the cost of approved improvement works on the more important county road bridges, with a view to the preservation of the county road network.