I thank you, a Chathaoirligh, for allowing me raise this important matter on the Adjournment. When I submitted this matter I did not realise the House was going to discuss the motion we have just voted on. I do not want to detain the Minister of State. The points I have to make are similar to those made in the previous debate so I am happy to let the Minister of State give his reply.
Adjournment Matters. - Roads Projects.
I thank the Senator for raising this issue. My colleague, the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Deputy Dempsey, apologises for being unable to be in the House to respond and has asked me to do so on his behalf.
I wish to say a few words about non-national roads in general before turning to the specific issue raised by the Senator, namely, roads in south Tipperary. The House will be aware that over £237 million was allocated for non-national roads in 1999, an increase of over £37 million, or nearly 19 per cent of the original 1998 allocation figure of almost £200 million, which was in itself a record. This figure excludes the local improvements scheme for which the 1999 allocations will be announced shortly by the Minister of State with responsibility for housing and urban renewal, Deputy Molloy.
The main thrust of the efforts made in recent years to improve the non-national network of roads has been focused on the restoration programme which aims to restore the entire network of regional and local roads in county areas by 2005. From the launch of this programme in mid-1995 to the end of 1998, more than 15,400 road schemes have been completed, with over 24,300 kilometres of road benefiting, representing 28 per cent of the network of regional and county roads. The restoration programme is now producing the very impressive results, both in terms of value for money and outputs, and local communities are seeing the fruits of the increased expenditure by the Government in this area.
The funds available for this programme were increased in 1999 by over £20 million, from £118 million to over £138 million, which will greatly increase the rate of progress being made in the restoration of regional and county roads to an acceptable standard.
County councils will also receive significantly increased grants for maintenance works in 1999. Maintenance grants under the restoration programme will increase by 36 per cent to £31.7 million, while discretionary maintenance grants will increase by almost 32 per cent to £12.8 million. This is further evidence of the Government's determination to deal with the problems of regional and county roads.
Regarding the specific matter raised by the Senator, he will be aware that the maintenance and improvement of non-national roads in the area is a matter for Tipperary South Riding County Council, to be funded from its own resources and supplemented by grants made available by the Department of the Environment and Local Government.
Tipperary South Riding County Council has been allocated a total of £5,611,000 in non-national road grants for 1999, a figure which represents an increase of 15 per cent on the initial 1998 allocation of £4,874.000. The initial selection and prioritisation of projects to which the various grant categories should be applied is a matter for Tipperary South Riding County Council, subject to general guidelines issued by the Department of the Environment and Local Government. As was indicated to Senator Kiely on 3 February in response to a similar Adjournment issue, the Department's Memorandum on Grants for Non-National Roads, 1996-99 specifically reminds local authorities that the cost of remedial works arising as a result of flooding and storm damage must be met from their own resources, supplemented by grants, and that they should set aside a contingency sum to finance any resto ration works which may be necessitated by severe weather conditions.
Apart from the 1999 allocation to Tipperary South Riding County Council for non-national roads, which is intended to provide for the special and ongoing needs of the council, there are no funds at the disposal of the Department from which a further non-national road grant could be made available to councils. However, I am sure the House will appreciate that Tipperary South Riding County Council will have significantly increased grants available to it in 1999. I assure Senator Hayes that flexibility will be shown by the Department in considering any requests from the council for necessary adjustments to its multiannual restoration programme arising from storm damage to particular roads.