Vol. 498 No. 5
168 Mr. Daly asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the backlog of applications for funding from the local improvement schemes grant to Clare County Council; if he will give a substantial increase in the allocation for 1999 to the council to enable the waiting list to be reduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27986/98]
A review of the local improvements scheme, LIS, which my Department carried out in early 1998 established the number of LIS applications on hands at that time in each county council, including Clare. This information was taken into account in the distribution of the increased LIS allocation of £3.948 million, as compared to £3 million in 1997, to county councils under the LIS in 1998.
It is desirable to reduce further the backlog of LIS applications on hand in county councils. Funding for the LIS in 1999 will be considered in the context of this requirement and of the overall grant allocations for non-national roads, which will be announced as early as possible in 1999. My Department has recently asked county councils for information on the numbers of LIS applications currently on hands. This information will enable me to assess the impact that the increased funds in 1998 have had on the backlog of applications and will be taken into account in the allocation of the 1999 LIS moneys to county councils.
