Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 23 Jun 1994

Vol. 444 No. 3

Written Answers. - Roads Maintenance.

Edward Nealon

Question:

70 Mr. Nealon asked the Minister for the Environment if he has received a submission on behalf of the Aclare, Lough Talt and Tourlestrane Development Associations in County Sligo concerning the conditions of the roads, especially the minor roads, in the parish of Kilmactigue, in County Sligo arising out of the use of these roads by Coillte and their contractors in the harvesting and extraction of timber onto a long public road, haulage of timber by heavy articulated lorries over roads that were never designed for such traffic, fracture and other damage to tarmacadam surfaces caused by contractors loading and unloading heavy machinery engaged in afforestation of sites adjacent to these roads and other damage caused by contractors engaged by Coillte in forest road making; in view of this damage and, in some cases, complete rupture of sections of the roads, if he will take action to compel Coillte to make good the damage; if this is not possible if he will provide special funding, even on a once off basis, to Sligo County Council to enable them to restore the roads in the area to an acceptable standard; and if he will make a statement on the general obligations of Coillte when such severe damage is caused to roads never designed or intended for such traffic by them in the course of their commercial operations.

Minister for the Environment (Mr. M. Smith)

I have received a submission from the parties referred to regarding the condition of non-national roads in the Kilmactigue area of County Sligo.

Responsibility for the improvement and maintenance of the non-national roads concerned rests with Sligo County Council. It is a matter for the council to finance necessary works from its own resources, supplemented by the discretionary grants provided annually by my Department. The 1994 discretionary grants to the council amount to £1.629 million. In addition, under the new EU co-finance scheme of specific improvement grants for non-national roads, grant allocations totalling £875,000 have been notified to the council, including a grant for works connected with forestry operations. Accordingly, the total State grant allocation to the county council for non-national roads in 1994 is £2.504 million which is an increase of 30 per cent on the grants paid in 1993. I have no funds at my disposal for the making of additional grants.

The council will have the opportunity, later this year, to put forward applications in respect of roads providing access to forests or timber mills as part of its general submission seeking specific grants in 1995 under the EU co-financed scheme of grants for improvement works on non-national roads.

In so far as the specific damage referred to by the Deputy is concerned, it is a matter for the county council to consider what action, if any, would be appropriate, including possible action under section 17 of the Road Traffic Act, 1961, with a view to ameliorating the problems referred to.