Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 June 2004
398 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his Department will approve funding for a submission made by Roscommon County Council 12 months ago to address flood prone roads within the county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19376/04]
View answerNo such submission has been made to my Department by Roscommon County Council within the time period mentioned in the question. In general, the maintenance and improvement of non-national roads is a matter for the relevant local authority to be funded from its own resources supplemented by State grants. The initial selection of works to be funded under the various grant categories is also a matter for local authorities.
In 2004, discretionary maintenance and improvement grants of €1.087 million and €920,000 respectively have been allocated to Roscommon County Council. These grants are intended to cover, inter alia, contingencies arising from flooding, storm damage and other severe weather conditions. My Department’s Memorandum on Grants for Non-National Roads states that the cost of remedial works necessitated by such conditions must be met from local authorities’ own resources and discretionary grants and that local authorities should set aside contingency sums from these resources to finance such works.
My Department is also prepared to consider sympathetically any request from local authorities to adjust their multi-annual restoration programmes to prioritise work necessitated by flood damage to particular roads or to carry out works to prevent future flooding.
