Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 25 Apr 1990

Vol. 397 No. 9

Written Answers. - Kerry Road Development Funding.

Michael Moynihan

Question:

233 Mr. Moynihan asked the Minister for the Environment if funds will be made available from EC grants for the development of a road from the Parish of Moore, Ballydavid, Dingle to Brandon, Castlegregory, County Kerry, in view of the tremendous tourism potential which such a road would have.

Minister for the Environment (Mr. Flynn)

I understand that the proposed new road would form part of the network of non-national roads. Responsibility for undertaking any works on this network of roads, including the provision of the necessary finance, is primarily a matter for the local authorities. They may use the discretionary grants for non-national roads paid by my Department to supplement expenditure from their own resources on such works. The 1990 discretionary road grants for Kerry County Council amount to £3,023,000.

State investment in non-national road improvements of major significance to the development of tourism, at regional or local level, may qualify for EC grant aid within the limits set in the Community Support Framework (CSF) adopted for Ireland for the five year period to 1993. The State investment involved in the case of such roads would be in the form of discretionary and/or special road grants. With regard to 1990, the local authorities have been requested to submit to the Department, by the end of next June, details of projects being assisted by these grants which they consider would be suitable for application for EC aid under the operational programme for roads and other transport infrastructure. A draft of this programme, prepared in accordance with the CSF, has been submitted to the EC Commission.