Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 November 2015
1173. Deputy Brian Walsh asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the current position regarding the R336 Bearna to Scríb road project in County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37743/15]
View answerThe improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads such as the R336 Bearna-Scrib road is the statutory responsibility of Galway County Council, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993-2015. Works on those roads are funded from the Council's own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the local authority. My Department did provide funding for preparatory work related to the R336 Road Improvement Scheme under the Strategic Improvement Grant category up to 2014.
Given the challenging financial climate, the Strategic Improvement Grant Scheme was curtailed from 2014 in order to maximise the funding available for repair and strengthening work on the existing road network and it was not, therefore, possible to provide further grant assistance to the R336 project. In this context, it is important to reiterate that the purpose of Exchequer funding is to supplement local authorities' own resources and I have been emphasising to local authorities the importance of prioritising expenditure on roads when allocating own resources, including revenue from Local Property Tax receipts.
While the Capital Plan 2016-2021 provides for the build up over the period of the plan in capital funding for the road network towards the levels needed to support maintenance and improvement of the network, the primary focus in the next few years will continue to be on road maintenance and renewal rather than new projects.
