Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 5 Apr 2001

Vol. 534 No. 2

Written Answers. - Road Network.

Bernard J. Durkan

Ceist:

20 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he is satisfied himself that local authorities have received sufficient funding from his Department to facilitate their efforts to repair, restore and refurbish county roads which are in the charge of the local authority but in respect of which community involvement grants are now being suggested; whether this proposal will reduce the responsibilities of his Department and the local authorities; if he will, as a matter of urgency, address the critically important principle of ensuring adequacy of funding to enable the local authorities to maintain the fabric of county roads for which they have had ongoing responsibility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10223/01]

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

The 2001 non-national road grants have been allocated from a record provision of more than £319 million, an increase of more than 21% on the initial 2000 allocation of nearly £263 million and an 82% increase on the 1997 grant payment figure of £174.8 million.

Under the ten year restoration programme for regional and county roads, which is based on an undertaking to restore all non-national roads in county council areas to a good level of service by 2005, grants have increased from £93 million in 1997 to over £162 million in 2001, an increase of 74%.

The programme is generally on target and is progressing systematically on the basis of priorities identified by local authorities in their multi-annual programmes.

All local authorities were requested in 1994 to investigate the potential to promote and harness community support for certain non-national road works in their areas and guidelines for this purpose were set out in Circular RW 4/94 from my Department.

Local authorities have subsequently been reminded each year in the context of the notification of non-national road grant allocations that they should continue to seek such involvement in improvement and maintenance work in suitable non-national roads.

I am satisfied that this approach has been valuable in permitting the prioritisation by local communities of certain smaller road works which could not otherwise have been scheduled for early treatment.

I am satisfied also that the significantly increased level of State funding provided in recent years, supplemented by county councils' own resources, including the community involvement scheme, is providing adequately for the ongoing maintenance and improvement needs of the non-national road network and will assist in its systematic and accelerated improvement.