Vol. 444 No. 1
27 Mr. Connor asked the Minister for the Environment if he will allow greater discretion to local authorities in decision-making and the spending of funds under the specific grant for improvement works on non-national roads notified to councils some time ago; his views on whether the minimum expenditure on any one project fixed at £75,000 is too high; and whether a greater portion of this fund should have been directed to county road restoration and maintenance.
The new scheme of specific grants to meet 100 per cent of the cost to local authorities of individual improvement projects on non-national roads will benefit 165 projects for which grants totalling £33.6 million have been allocated this year. As the scheme is intended to qualify for EU support, the use of the funds must satisfy EU requirements. In particular, projects must involve substantial improvement works and they must have a significant economic impact, particularly as regards employment and industrial, tourism, fisheries, forestry or rural development. In these circumstances, it is not open to me to make any fundamental changes in the arrangements already notified to local authorities.
30 Mr. M. McDowell asked the Minister for the Environment if he will establish an independent group to survey and report on the condition of the county roads system and to make recommendations regarding future investment programmes for the county roads system.
Responsibility for the improvement and maintenance of county roads in each area is a matter for the relevant county council whose responsibility it is to monitor the condition of the network in their area and to plan and carry out maintenance and improvement programmes with the aid of the substantial State grants provided for these purposes. I am satisfied that sufficient expertise is available within the local authorities and in my Department to deal with county roads and I have no proposals, therefore, to establish a group on the lines suggested in the question.
