Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 March 2021
322. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Transport the reason for the delay in allocated funding being drawn down by Kerry County Council in respect of Listry Bridge on the R563, County Kerry; the details of any correspondence between the local authority and his Department since January 2020 on the bridge; if his Department has changed its position on supporting the project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15067/21]
View answerThe improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of the relevant local authority in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from 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 Council.
A preliminary appraisal has been received from Kerry County Council concerning a number of options for Listry Bridge. The Department requested additional survey investigation to be undertaken to inform the options and ensure all appropriate measures are considered to achieve maximum value for money in accordance with the Public Spending Code. Funding was provided in 2019 and 2020 to assist with these studies and a revised submission was received at the end of 2020. The Department will consider this submission including project need, objectives, options and cost.
Progression of a scheme is dependent on funding availability and in the context of other projects currently funded. In this regard, Kerry County Council has been allocated in excess of €29.5m in regional and local road grants in 2021 which is an increase of 17% from 2020 and 30% from 2019. These figures include Specific Improvement road grants for the R556 Dale Road, Tralee to Fenit realignment, Clash Cross to Ballymullen as well as the Strategic scheme Tralee Northern Relief Road.
The drawdown of funds for a project in any particular year is a matter for the local authority.
