Patrick D. Harte
Ceist:202 Mr. Harte asked the Minister for the Environment the priority position of the Lifford-Letterkenny road; and when it is expected that major development to this road will take place.
Written Answers. - Donegal Road Developments.
The financing and phasing of major road improvement projects generally in the period to 1993 has been considered in the context of the preparation of the operational programme on peripherality, which was approved by the EC Commission last August. This programme will be published next week.
Patrick D. Harte
Ceist:203 Mr. Harte asked the Minister for the Environment if his attention has been drawn to the need for the upgrading of the Derry-Buncrana Road; and if he will make funds available towards the cost of carrying out this very essential development.
There are no proposals currently with my Department for improvements to the Derry-Buncrana Road.
As the road in question is a non-national road, responsibility for undertaking any works on it, including the provision of the necessary finance, is a matter for the local authority. The local authority may, at their discretion, use the discretionary grants for non-national roads, paid by the Department, to supplement expenditure from their own resources on such works. Discretionary grants totalling £4.3 million were allocated to Donegal County Council in 1990; this compares with a total of £3.8 million under equivalent headings in 1989.