Written Answers. - Road Network.
Bernard Allen
Question:
163
Mr. Allen
asked the
Minister for the Environment and Local Government
his views on the fact that 53% of the County Cork non-national road network is sub-standard; the length of time it will take to bring these roads up to standard; the reason the allocation of grant per kilometre in County Cork is less than half that received by County Meath and only a quarter of that received by County Kildare; and his proposals in this regard to enable Cork County Council to bring its non-national road network up to standard within a reasonable time.
[17520/02]
Since 1997 non-national road grant payments to Cork County Council have increased by 78% from €20,743,711 in 1997 to €36,871,778 in 2002. The council's 2002 allocation is the highest for any county council in the country; it exceeds the next highest grant by almost €12 million and represents a 10% increase on the 2001 outturn.
In determining non-national road grant allocations for 2002, 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 network and suitability in relation to criteria for EU co-financing.
In addition, allocations made under the grant category, non-national roads to support housing and other development, particularly to counties in the greater Dublin area, where there is a significant demand for housing, further complicate comparisons on the basis of the length of the non-national road network in each county.
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.
Question No. 164 answered with Question No. 18.
Question No. 165 answered with Question No. 161.
Question No. 166 answered with Question No. 16.
Question No. 167 answered with Question No. 20.
Question No. 168 answered with Question No. 44.
Question No. 169 answered with Question No. 21.
