Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 September 2018
75. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the amount allocated under LIS in 2018 nationally and in County Clare, respectively; if there will be a second round; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38322/18]
View answerWill the Minister give the amount allocated under the local improvement scheme nationally and in County Clare and if there will be a second round?
The LIS is a programme for improvement works on small private and non-public roads. The scheme is currently funded by my Department and administered through the local authorities.
Following on from the successful relaunch of the scheme in 2017, I announced details of the 2018 local improvement scheme on 27 February. I allocated an initial amount of €10.8 million to local authorities across the country this year under the scheme. The 2018 funding includes an allocation of €482,000 for County Clare.
The list of projects which the councils have selected for improvement works on the basis of their allocations can be found on my Department’s website.
As part of the LIS scheme this year, I also requested each county council to compile a secondary list of suitable LIS road projects which they could complete if additional funding becomes available within my Department's Vote later in the year.
I am assessing the level of expenditure on all my Department's programmes on an ongoing basis, and I will make decisions shortly on whether there is scope for any additional funding to be allocated to the local improvement scheme this year.
More than 1,100 roads have benefitted from improvement works since I relaunched the LIS in September last year. This is having a hugely positive impact for residents and landowners along those roads in terms of access to their premises and properties.
I compliment the Minister for reinstating this vital scheme for rural Ireland. He listened to the Fine Gael backbenchers when they called on him to do so, and it was important that he did. It was great to see it reinstated last year, and also a further allocation being given late last year. I have welcomed the allocation of €482,000 for County Clare this year. It is fantastic. Much work has been done and applications have been submitted. There were requests that Clare County Council would draw up a secondary list. I compliment the road section of Clare County Council for its work in conjunction with landowners and the people who live in rural Ireland to deliver on this programme.
Will the Minister consider a further round of funding for the local improvement scheme? It is very important because it was delayed and was not there for many years before it was reinstated? He could continue this good work if he made a further allocation.
This scheme has been one of my Department's success stories and I thank the Deputy for his kind comments. There had not been a local improvement scheme for many years. Last year there was a total allocation of €866,000. I am looking to see if the Department has any spare funding because this is a great scheme and is one that works well. The local authorities received funding in the middle of last year and again towards the end of this year. They did very well to complete it. I allocated the funding early this year, in February, and asked them to have the schemes completed by July so that if there was any extra funding, I would announce it. I will examine that in the coming weeks. To be fair to the local authorities, if I give them extra funding, I must do so now because they will need to get the work done before the weather gets bad. It is a scheme that has worked well and there is a deep appreciation among rural people for it. People in towns have an expectation that their roads should be done, but rural areas do not have the same chances, although the people who live there pay the same taxes and pay for their water supply.
I thank the Minister for his reply. I encourage him to make the further allocation and to do so shortly, with winter approaching. It would be better if they received the allocation in the next couple of weeks so that they could get on with the work.
I thank the Deputy for his kind words. The scheme has worked very well and I will make a quick decision on it. To be fair to local authorities, if they are to receive any funding, it must be soon so that they can do the work between now and the end of the year. Many people at the National Ploughing Championships said they were delighted to see the scheme and were looking for more funding. It is a scheme I want to develop. If other Departments came in and allocated a small amount of funds, twice the amount of work would be done. I am pleased I reintroduced the funding and that it is there.
