Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 May 2019
1272. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if separate funding is provided for footpath refurbishment and construction in view of insufficient roads maintenance funds available to carry out such works on district roads. [18524/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads (including footways and footpaths) in its area, is a statutory responsibility of each road authority in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act, 1993. Works on such roads are a matter for the relevant local authority to be funded from its 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.
In February this year, I announced the €483.3m investment programme for regional and local roads in 2018, which is an increase of about 16% on the 2018 allocation. From this investment, funding for the Discretionary Grant (DG) programme has increased significantly in 2019 to €82.1 million. Councils have discretion to use DG grants for a range of eligible works which includes footways. It is, therefore, open to local authorities to fund these types of works from their DG allocation. It is also the case that, where appropriate, grants provided under certain other grant headings may make some provision for footways. A Council can also provide funding for footways from its own resources should it so wish. In this context Exchequer grant funding is intended to supplement expenditure by Councils on the road network.
My Department allocates funding at local authority level and allocations to individual Municipal Districts are a matter for the Council.
