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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 7 May 1991

Vol. 407 No. 9

Written Answers. - Condition of Cavan Roads.

Andrew Boylan

Question:

61 Mr. Boylan asked the Minister for the Environment the reason, having regard to inflation, a decreased allocation for road repairs was made to Cavan County Council in 1991 in view of (a) the detailed submission requesting and justifying an increased amount made by Cavan County Council and (b) the well-known and documented state of Cavan roads; and if his attention has been drawn to the fact that as a result of the publication of this allocation, companies who trade with firms and customers in Cavan have announced that they will have to discontinue such trading and look elsewhere for supplies and customers where transport will not pose such a problem as there is no prospect of roads in Cavan being improved.

Andrew Boylan

Question:

174 Mr. Boylan asked the Minister for the Environment if he intends to meet a deputation from Cavan County Council as requested to discuss the council's finances in relation to road improvements; if his attention has been drawn to the serious situation that prevails in the county; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 61 and 174 together.

The 1991 road grant allocation of £3.951 million to Cavan County Council represents an increase of 4 per cent over the 1990 payments of £3.812 million and a 47 per cent increase over the 1989 payments of £2.690 million.

The cost of the upkeep and maintenance of regional and county roads falls to be met from the local authority's own resources, supplemented by discretionary grants from my Department. The 1991 discretionary grants notified to Cavan County Council amount to £2.849 million, which represents an increase of 6 per cent over 1990 and 86 per cent compared with 1989. This overall 1991 figure includes a supplementary grant of £600,000 and a grant of £250,000 for stolen damage. These extra sums were included because of the special needs of County Cavan.
In contrast, expenditure on road works by Cavan County Council from their own resources declined from £1.143 million in 1986 to £0.347 million in 1990, with a provision of £0.405 million in their 1991 estimates.
There are no funds available to me from which further grants could be made available to Cavan County Council in 1991. In the circumstances I cannot see what could be achieved by meeting a deputation from the council.
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