Vol. 531 No. 3
284 Mr. Aylward asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he has received a full assessment of damage caused by inclement weather to roads and bridges in the County Kilkenny area; if he has taken account of the serious nature of the submission; if he will make additional funds available to assist the county council in carrying out the works required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5584/01]
An initial assessment report from Kilkenny County Council in relation to flood damage generally sustained in late 2000 was received in my Department on 10 November 2000.
I recently announced non-national road grant allocations for 2001 to local authorities of £319 million. Kilkenny County Council's allocation for 2001 is £7.232 million, which is a 15% increase on the 2000 allocation and a 67% increase on 1997.
In principle, the considerable funds available to local authorities for non-national roads maintenance and improvement, combined with their own resources, are designed to cover contingencies arising from flooding, storm damage and other weather related works. My Department's memorandum on grants for non-national roads advises that the cost of remedial works necessitated by such conditions should be met from these resources and that local authorities should set aside contingency sums to finance such works.
My Department is prepared to consider sympathetically any request from a local authority to adjust its multi-annual restoration programme so as to prioritise works necessitated by flood damage to particular roads.
