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Transport Policy

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 31 March 2021

Wednesday, 31 March 2021

Questions (262)

Neasa Hourigan

Question:

262. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Transport the level of EU funding drawn down for road infrastructure in each of the years 2017 to 2020; the planned level of EU funding to be drawn down for road infrastructure in each of the years 2021 to 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16388/21]

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Written answers

The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) is the EU's funding instrument for the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) for the programming period 2014-2020. Funding under CEF is delivered in the form of co-funding grants allocated following competitive calls for proposals. Co-funding rates vary depending on the call for proposals and the type of project, generally ranging from 20% to 50% of eligible costs. Under the 2014 - 2020 programme, a total of €30.2 million had been awarded to road projects led by or involving Irish project promoters. The drawdown of EU funding provided under the CEF programme is not readily available by year.

This funding supported a variety of road infrastructure projects. These include the development and deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) for traffic management led by Transport Infrastructure Ireland, the rollout of a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) network by Gas Networks Ireland, and studies undertaken by Donegal County Council. The last mentioned project concerns the preparatory work required to remove bottlenecks over a length of 31 km at three road sections in Co Donegal: Ballybofey to Stranorlar; Letterkenny to Manorcunningham; and Manorcunningham to Lifford/Strabane. This covers the designs and reports required to obtain the necessary statutory and other approvals to facilitate the future construction. This project aims to enhance regional accessibility and improve connectivity and traffic flows to/from the North-West region.

Details on each of the road projects funded by CEF 2014 - 2020, are available at the following link:

https://ec.europa.eu/inea/sites/inea/files/cefpub/eu_investment_in_transport_in_ireland.pdf.

The new CEF programme for 2021 - 2027 will see approximately €11.3 billion available under the general envelope for all transport projects, open to all Member States. Negotiations on a three-year work programme for the 2021 – 2023 period are near completion. The work programme will set out the indicative budgets and types of eligible projects that can apply for co-funding grants. The aim of this is to enhance predictability and transparency for stakeholders, enabling higher quality proposals to be submitted to the EU.

In terms of road infrastructure, funding opportunities are set to continue in the fields of ITS and alternative fuel infrastructure, with a greater focus on electricity and hydrogen. It will also allow Member States with no rail network or Member States with an isolated rail network, including Ireland, to apply for the funding of road construction.

My Department and I continue to promote the CEF programme to Irish stakeholders with the aim of maximising Ireland's potential drawdown of EU funds for transport. All potential applications to the programme in the coming years, including for roads, will be considered and evaluated in the context of national priorities and Ireland's overall participation in the programme.

As the Deputy will be aware, historically, the Cohesion Fund was a significant envelope for supporting our national transport networks, including our roads. While the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has overall responsibility for EU Cohesion Policy and the European Structural and Investment (ESI) Funds, it should be noted that the Cohesion Fund is directed towards Member States whose Gross National Income (GNI) per inhabitant is less than 90% of the EU average. For the 2014-2020 period, the countries that qualified for the Cohesion Fund were: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. As net EU budget contributor, Ireland does not qualify for Cohesion funding.

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