asked the Minister for the Environment the present status of the Road Development Plan for the 1980s; and if the proposed attainments of this plan are still on target.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Road Development.
15.
The position in relation to the road development plan was explained to the Deputy in reply to his question on 26 June 1980. Since that date, further grants totalling £5.4 million have been allocated to road authorities for works in the current year.
16.
asked the Minister for the Environment if he is aware that in the case of the national primary road scheme of Dublin County Council in relation to the works on the Stillorgan Grove-Whites Cross section of the Bray Road dual carriageway, the initial allocation of £380,000 and the further allocation of £150,000 notified on 25 September 1980, together with £100,000 for maintenance works have now been fully expended, that his Department had previously been requested to fund the works necessary to complete the scheme to Whites Cross and to fund further necessary works immediately beyond the junction at Whites Cross; and if he will make a statement indicating when Dublin County Council may expect further funds from his Department in relation to this matter.
The latest returns of expenditure supplied by Dublin County Council (to end-September 1980) for the Stillorgan Grove/White's Cross scheme show that the council has expended £2,666,236 on the scheme, towards which road grants totalling £2,678,902, including supplementary grant of £150,000 notified on 25 September 1980, have been allocated to date.
As regards the proposed improvement immediately south of the junction at White's Cross, the council was asked on 1 February 1980 to prepare the final design for the scheme and this is still awaited.
When determining the road grants for 1981 I will consider making further grants for the completion of the scheme.
The county council's proposals for the expenditure of the £100,000 supplementary maintenance grant notified on 25 September 1980 were received in my Department on 20 October and approval to the proposals issued on 3 November 1980. There are no returns of expenditure of this grant yet available to me.
17.
asked the Minister for the Environment if he is aware that in the case of the 1980 road grant for Dublin County Council the block grant of £664,000 has been fully expended, that the requirement of Dublin County Council for the block grant as set out in the 1980 road works scheme was £1.7 million and that this shortfall has resulted in a list of omissions from the maintenance and traffic budgets of the county council which represent a serious setback to the council's overall programme to maintain and improve the main and county roads system; if he is further aware that it has been extremely difficult for the county council to maintain employment in the roads maintenance section, that the roads' engineers have indicated that they have great difficulty in keeping employees gainfully employed due to the current lack of finance for materials and machinery; and if he will indicate if any further monies are being made available to this council in the immediate future.
The block grant notified to Dublin County Council for 1980 is only one element in the total road grant of £6.292 million allocated to the council this year. The total represents an increase of 21.9 per cent over 1979 and more than 200 per cent over 1976.
I am aware of the needs of the roads in County Dublin and I intend to ensure that the maximum assistance will continue to be made available towards their maintenance and improvement within the resources available to me. Returns of employment on road works show that employment by the council at end September 1980 was 762, compared with 711 at end September 1979.
The grant allocations already notified to road authorities for 1980 absorb the total of the moneys available to me for road works in the current year.
Question No. 18 postponed.