asked the Minister for the Environment, in view of the extensive flooding annually in the Clonown area of County Roscommon, if he will make a special grant available to Roscommon County Council for the purpose of raising the roads above water level in the Clonown area.
Written Answers. - Clonown, Roscommon, Flooding.
176.
I understand that the roads in this area are county roads. Primary responsibility for the planning and execution of any works on such roads, including the timing and provision of the necessary finances, rests with Roscommon County Council. The local authority may use the block grant for roads paid annually by my Department to supplement expenditure from is own resources on such roads. A block grant of £592,000 has been allocated to the local authority for 1989 which is the same as for 1988. A grant of £880,000 was also allocated to the local authority for 1989 for strengthening works on county roads. This is an increase of £205,000 or 30 per cent over the 1988 allocation.
The local authority have considerable discretion regarding the distribution of the block grant and the county road strengthening grant.
Because of constraints on public expenditure and other work priorities, it is not possible to allocate a special grant for the work referred to by the Deputy.