Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 7 Dec 1999

Vol. 512 No. 3

Written Answers - Road Network.

Brendan Daly

Question:

245 Mr. Daly asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the position with regard to road repairs on local and non-national roads within Clare County Council in each of the years from 1997 to date; if there are sufficient funds available for works listed; if all allocated moneys for road repairs were used by the council for these dates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25816/99]

Minister for the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Dempsey)

Details of total non-national road grant payments to Clare County Council in 1997 and 1998, and the allocation for 1999, are set out in the following table:

Year	Grant Payment £
1997	6,932,000
1998	8,220,715
1999 (Allocation)	9,201,000

Significantly increased funding has been made available in the last few years to improve the non-national road network. Some £237 million has been allocated from the local government fund for non-national roads in 1999, an increase of over £37 million or nearly 19% on the original 1998 allocation and £59 million or 33% on the 1997 figure.

Non-national roads grants are allocated to local authorities under a number of different grant categories. The amount allocated to individual county councils under most grant categories is determined on a pro-rata mileage basis. Grants under the restoration improvement category are determined on the basis of mileage and on the basis of need established by the pavement condition study.

The selection of projects for grant allocations under the EU co-financed scheme depends on their compliance with EU eligibility criteria, the need to prioritise projects, competing demands from other local authorities and the total funds available for the scheme.

All of the grants listed in the above table were or will be fully used by Clare County Council for non-national road works.