Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Go raibh maith agat, Seanadóir Ó Gallchóir, as an gceist ábhartha seo.

I understand that the Senator’s question is on the provision of additional emergency State funding to local authorities to undertake repair and upgrade works on the local and regional road network in light of excessive rainfall in recent months and other climate change factors. Some of the issues he highlighted really are very challenging and they are reflective of the position in other parts of the country.

As Senator Gallagher is aware and as outlined in the 2024 regional and local roads programme released on 15 February, the Government is strongly committed to protecting the existing regional and local road network. This network is fundamental in connecting people and places across the country. It facilitates business, education, tourism, healthcare, agriculture and the provision of critical services and activities in every county.

The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on these roads are funded from councils' own resources and are supplemented by State road grants.

Ireland's regional and local road network spans over 96,000 km. The network requires significant funding to ensure it remains fit for purpose, safe and resilient. As such, €658 million was allocated in respect of regional and local road grants in 2024, with approximately 90% of this funding being directed towards maintenance and renewal works. This funding supports local authorities in fulfilling their statutory responsibilities.Due to the vast scale of the network, the Department of Transport employs an array of grant types to ensure investment is targeted across the network, from supporting scheduled maintenance works to funding climate adaption projects which aim to build resilience in the road network against severe weather events we are experiencing. Ireland has experienced several severe weather events this winter, including Storm Babet, Storm Ciarán, Storm Debi, and Storm Elin. Furthermore, in recent months, Ireland has endured higher-than-average rainfall across most of the country. We all know that. It is sunny out there today but certainly it has been really bad this winter. Heavy rainfall has led to widespread flooding in certain areas as well as damage to parts of the national, regional and local road networks. Unfortunately, such severe weather is becoming all too frequent.

The Department emphasises to local authorities each year the importance of setting aside a contingency fund to manage events such as severe flooding and storms. Where practical, the Department also works with local authorities to reprioritise grant funding within their works programme when needed and following incidences affecting the network. All Exchequer funding for the regional and local road programme for 2024 has been allocated at this time. However, each county council can liaise directly with their assigned departmental engineer inspector to discuss any unforeseen road deterioration in their region. The Department is fully committed to working with local authorities and helping them reprioritise work programmes as needed in order to retain a safe road network for everybody.

In summary, the Minister for Transport recognises the importance of funding provided to local authorities for the renewal and protection of the regional and local road network. This funding helps to maintain a functioning, safe interconnected network that facilitates thousands of people in their day-to-day activities. As such, in 2024, the Minister for Transport committed over €658 million to continuing grant support for the regional and local roads network. The Minister places huge value on this network. This Exchequer funding is intended to supplement realistic contributions from local authorities’ own resources. As the statutory road authorities for their areas, it is open to local authorities to prioritise investment on their own regional and local roads.