Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 July 2018
2303. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the project at Lehenaghmore and Lehenaghbeg, Togher, County Cork, will be considered for inclusion in the next round of grants under the specific improvement scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35293/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of the local authority, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from the local authority's own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the local authority.
Before the financial crisis, local authorities could apply on a regular basis for grants for Specific (schemes costing less than €5m) and Strategic Improvement Grants (schemes costing more than €5m) for the strengthening, widening or realignment of regional and local roads. However, the extent of the cutbacks in grant funding during the crisis meant this grant scheme had to be curtailed from 2013 because expenditure on maintenance/renewal was falling well short of what was required to adequately maintain the regional and local road network.
The Capital Plan 2016-2021 does provide for the gradual build up in funding for the road network but it will take some years yet to reach the level required for the adequate maintenance and renewal of the network. For this reason there continues to be very limited scope for funding projects under the Specific Grant Programme.
Any projects proposed by local authorities for consideration under the Specific Grant Programme are assessed by the Department on a case-by-case basis. All projects put forward by local authorities for consideration must comply with the requirements of the Public Spending Code and the Department's Capital Appraisal Framework (CAF) and it is important for local authorities to prioritise projects within their overall area of responsibility with these requirements in mind. My Department circulated updated documentation on the project appraisal process to local authorities earlier this year – under this process local authorities are required to prepare a preliminary project appraisal and submit to the Department for consideration. Such an appraisal has not been received for a road scheme at Lehenaghmore.
