Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 12 Jun 2001

Vol. 537 No. 5

Written Answers. - Roads Funding.

Bernard Allen

Question:

380 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the reason Cork County Council ranked 26th out of 26 in 2000 and 24th out of 26 in 2001 in respect of financial allocation per kilometre for the repair of non-national roads. [16589/01]

Bernard Allen

Question:

381 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the reason Cork County Council received only 77% of the national average allocation per kilometre in 2001. [16590/01]

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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 380 and 381 together.

Cork County Council has been allocated some £27 million in non-national road grants for 2001 which represents an increase of 15% compared to the initial 2000 allocation. The council enjoys the largest grant among county councils; this exceeds the next highest grant by some £7 million. Since 1997 Cork County Council's grant has increased by 80%.

Furthermore, Cork County Council was one of ten county councils selected for special grant aid this year to support housing and other related developments. Under this new grants scheme, over £5 million has been committed to Cork County Council in the 2001-04 period for road infrastructure, of which £375,000 was allocated in 2001.

In determining non-national road grant allocations for 2001, the objective has been to resource all local authorities, including Cork County Council, appropriately in relation to their ongoing and special needs. This process is guided by a range of criteria, including road pavement conditions, traffic volumes, length of road net work and suitability in relation to criteria for EU co-financing. This multiplicity of criteria, together with the variable impact from year to year of project specific schemes, necessarily entails divergence between local authorities in grants per kilometre under the non-national roads programme.

A submission from Cork County Council dated 10 May 2001 seeking additional funding under the restoration programme is at present being examined in my Department.