Brian Stanley
Question:995. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to reopen the local improvement schemes for rural private roads. [49728/14]
View answerWednesday, 14 January 2015
Questions (995)
Written answers
The Local Improvement Scheme remains in place and it is not closed. The purpose of this Scheme is to provide funding for roads and laneways that Councils have not taken in charge. However, the maintenance and improvement of these is, in the first instance, a matter for the relevant landowner.
There is no separate allocation for the LIS. Instead, in 2014 local authorities were permitted to use up to 15% (up from 7% in 2013) of their initial Discretionary Grant towards local improvement schemes should they wish to do so. The local contribution for these schemes remains at 20% of the total cost of the project. Furthermore, it is open to local authorities to supplement the percentage of their Discretionary Grant that they can use for the LIS with their own resources. This position is likely to extend into this year.
Some local authorities want a ring-fenced LIS allocation for private roads while others prefer to put the funding into public roads. I think this decision is best made at a local level.