asked the Minister for Local Government whether he has issued or intends to issue to county councils regulations limiting expenditure on the widening of main roads and the cutting of bends until such time as the bad roads in food and fuel producing areas are brought up to a reasonable standard.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Expenditure on Main Roads.
It is for each local authority to propose the works they wish to carry out under the annual main and county road improvement grants available to them from the Road Fund, subject, in the case of county roads, to the works being selected on the basis of the five-year plan approved by the council. As regards the linking up of important centres of food and fuel production with the towns and main roads, the county councils have been advised on this matter on the lines which I have indicated in reply to the Deputy's last question.
In order to secure a greater expansion of county road improvements, I have increased the 1956-57 grants for this purpose by £200,000 in addition to the increase of £500,000 given last year.
I have also issued instructions that in the examination of main road improvement schemes there should be the most critical appraisal of road works involving diversions and similar works not related to existing road surfaces.
Arising out of the Minister's reply to Question No. 38, did I understand him to say that the total amounts of road grants to the county were notified?
The Deputy did not ask that on the question, and I called Question No. 39.
I am giving the Minister an opportunity to answer both questions.
It is not a good practice.
I am learning. Is the Ceann Comhairle allowing me to ask the question?
I will allow the Deputy to ask a supplementary question.
In the first paragraph of his reply the Minister said the maximum grants from the Road Fund for road works have already been notified to all the local authorities concerned. In the case of Donegal, that information is rather serious, because of the fact that the amount of grants notified is about £7,000 less than last year, notwithstanding the fact that the Road Fund has increased and that we were assured that the total amount of moneys in the Road Fund would be allocated to various counties.
The total is actually the same.
It is not.
It is.
Arising out of the reply to Question No. 39, will the Minister not agree that the selection of works on main roads is, in the last analysis, a matter for the Minister's Department, the Department of Local Government? Does he not agree that a number of proposals are submitted to the Local Government Department by the local authority, but the final selection is made by the Department and that it is not, therefore, true to state that the council has the last word in selecting them?
That is a separate question, but in the reply I have given, I have said: "the works being selected on the basis of the five-year plan approved by the council." I presume that means what it says.
That refers to county roads, whereas my query referred to main roads.