Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 8 Jul 1993

Vol. 433 No. 7

Written Answers. - Celbridge (Kildare) Roads Plan.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

96 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment when his Department received proposals from Kildare County Council for traffic management improvements in Celbridge, County Kildare, including the provision of a new bridge over the River Liffey; the full extent of such proposals; if finance was sought in respect of these proposals; if it was or is envisaged that such works might be undertaken on foot of EC funding or other funding; the extent to which he expects funds to be made available for this purpose in the current year or later; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for the Environment (Mr. M. Smith)

The roads plan for Celbridge, which was submitted by Kildare County Council in August 1991, would involve the provision of a new bridge over the River Liffey as well as the improvement of existing roads and the provision of a new distributor road. As the plan relates to non-national roads which are the responsibility of Kildare County Council, the work involved would fall to be financed from the council's own resources, supplemented by the discretionary grants provided annually by my Department for such roads.

The 1993 discretionary road grant to Kildare County Council amounts to £1.863 million and, in view of the special needs of the county, includes a supplementary grant of £600,000 for improvement works. If the council decided to carry out the proposals contained in the plan from their discretionary grant, it would be open to them to nominate such works for co-financing from EC funds. Any such funding would, however, be remitted to the Exchequer in partial recoupment of the road grants.