Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 10 May 2000

Vol. 518 No. 6

Written Answers. - Roads Funding.

Denis Naughten

Ceist:

362 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he will approve funding for Roscommon County Council to carry out improvement works on non-national roads flooded over the winter period to ensure that they are not prone to flooding in the future; when he will approve this funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12371/00]

Minister for the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Dempsey)

Roscommon County Council has been allocated non-national road grants totalling £8.177 million this year, an increase of 7% on 1999.

It is intended that these grants, together with the local authorities' own resources, should provide for the ongoing and special needs of local authorities, including requirements arising from exceptional weather conditions. My Department's memorandum on grants for non-national roads provides that the cost of remedial works necessitated by such conditions must be met from the above resources and that local authorities should set aside a contingency sum to finance these works.

My Department will be prepared to consider any request from Roscommon County Council to adjust its current multi-annual restoration programme so as to prioritise works necessitated by flood damage to particular roads.

Bernard J. Durkan

Ceist:

363 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the responsibility he has for all funds provided by his Department for upgrading and improvement of national primary and regional roads and provision of new roads; if he received submissions from Kildare County Council or Offaly County Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12373/00]

Minister for the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Dempsey)

With regard to national roads, the National Roads Authority has overall statutory responsibility for the planning and supervision of works for the construction and maintenance of these roads. The Minister for the Environment and Local Government appoints the members of the authority, performs certain broad policy, financial, and quasi-judicial functions such as the approval of motorway schemes and road developments which are the subject of environmental impact statements, and sources the payment of block grants to the authority.

However, the Minister for the Environment and Local Government has no function in relation to the day-to-day administration and management of the work programme for national roads or in relation to the allocation of funds for individual projects. Accordingly, any submissions which may be received from local authorities in relation to national roads are directed to the NRA which has overall responsibility as outlined above.

In relation to non-national roads, the Minister for the Environment and Local Government is responsible for the allocation and payment each year of non-national road grants to local authorities which supplement own resources expenditure by them in discharging their function of maintaining and improving the non-national road network. Non-national road grants embrace a number of grant categories, both capital and current and include restoration maintenance and improvement grants, discretionary maintenance and improvement grants, block grants to urban authorities and specific improvement grants.

My Department seeks applications annually from all local authorities, including Kildare and Offaly County Councils, under the specific improvement grants scheme and also receives correspondence regularly from local authorities in relation to various aspects of the non-national roads programme.