Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 19 Jun 2001

Vol. 538 No. 3

Written Answers. - Roads Funding.

John Perry

Question:

253 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the reason the allocation per kilometre of non-national roads for County Sligo is the lowest for the entire country; the way the figure of £2,263 per kilometre in County Sligo was determined; the plans he has to increase this allocation; if he will give a commitment to redress this imbalance to providing the necessary infrastructure in County Sligo, and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17735/01]

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

Sligo County Council's non-national road grant allocation of £6.625 million in 2001 represents a 15% increase on the initial 2000 allocation of £5.768 million and an increase of 59% on its 1997 grant of £4.168 million. The council's allocation per kilometre in 2001 is £2,599.

In determining non-national road grant allocations for 2001, the objective has been to resource all local authorities, including Sligo 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 network 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.