Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 15 Feb 1996

Vol. 461 No. 6

Written Answers. - Border Roads Funding.

James Leonard

Question:

40 Mr. Leonard asked the Minister for the Environment whether he has made a case for funding from the EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation for county roads in view of the additional traffic since the reopening of Border crossings that has brought many roads back into use that now require resurfacing. [2362/96]

Minister for the Environment (Mr. Howlin)

The case for additional EU funding for roads in Border counties was, of course, put forward in discussions with the European Commission on the EU Special Support Programme for Peace and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties. However, the programme as adopted by the Commission gives priority to measures such as promotion of social inclusion; facilitating cross-Border reconciliation, linkages and co-operation; supporting productive investment; and promotion of employment; the more traditional infrastructural programmes, such as roads, for which other means of financial assistance are available were assigned a lower priority.

Within the limited provision for infrastructure in the programme, a sum of £3 million has been made available to my Department for roads investment in 1996. Of this, £2.5 million will be used to restore the Aghalane Bridge on the N3 Dublin to Enniskillen road, which is a key element in improving cross-Border infrastructure. I recently notified indicative allocations amounting to the balance of £0.5 million to Border counties for improvement works on non-national roads.

I might add that special grants, amounting in total to £1.812 million were made available in 1994 and 1995 by my Department to Border local authorities for the reopening/restoration of cross-Border roads. Grant allocations totalling £220,000 have been made in the current year to complete this work.