Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 4 Jul 2001

Vol. 540 No. 2

Written Answers. - Roads Funding.

Seymour Crawford

Question:

197 Mr. Crawford asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government when more funds will be made available to Cavan and Monaghan County Councils to allow them to continue the road restructuring work on county and regional roads; his views on whether Cavan-Monaghan is one of the few areas of intensive agricultural production, pigs, poultry, mushrooms and has no rail services or airport and, therefore, gains little from budgets for these services; his further views on whether little has been done by successive Governments to upgrade the roads since the railways were closed in 1957; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20445/01]

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

The maintenance and improvement of non-national roads in this area is a matter for Cavan and Monaghan County Councils to be funded from their own resources, supplemented by State grants. In the 2001 grant allocations for non-national roads, I allocated a total of £10.458 million to Cavan County Council and £9.489 million to Monaghan County Council representing increases of 14% and 15% on the 2000 initial allocations of £9.207 million and £8.269 million and increases of 46% and 50% on the 1997 grants of £7.146 million and £6.326 million respectively. It is estimated that Cavan and Monaghan County Council will provide a further £1.86 million and £1.4 million from their own resources in 2001.

I am satisfied that the significantly increased level of State funding provided in recent years, supplemented by county councils' own resources, is providing adequately for the ongoing maintenance and improvement needs of the non-national road network and is assisting in its systematic and accelerated improvement in both counties.