Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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181. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if additional funding will be provided to repair road infrastructure in Cork city and Cork county, following severe flooding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46680/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As the Deputy is aware, it will take time to assess the impact of Storm Babet and the associated flooding events on the road network. My Department will liaise with the relevant local authorities throughout this process.

That being said, 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 those roads are funded from the Council's own resources supplemented by State road grants. All regional and local roads grants are fully allocated for 2023 with little scope currently within existing roads budget for provision of additional funding in this financial year.

The Department emphasises to local authorities each year the importance of setting aside a contingency fund to manage events such as severe flooding. In addition there is good flexibility within the annual grants programme to allow local authorities re-prioritise funding following such incidence as severe weather events. However, noting this event has occurred towards the end of the Council’s annual work programme I am aware that the level of reprioritisation may be limited, and as such my Department will work with the affected local authorities as required to facilitate the management of repair works. These works and funding requirements will also be considered in the 2024 grant allocations which are expected to issue in Q1 2024.

In relation to national roads, as Minister for Transport I have responsibility for overall policy and exchequer funding in relation to the National Roads Programme. Under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 and in line with the National Development Plan (NDP), the operation and maintenance of individual national roads is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. This is also subject to the Public Spending Code and the necessary statutory approvals. In this context, TII is best placed to advise you.

The allocations for national roads for 2024 are expected to be announced by the end of this year.

Noting the above position, I have referred your question to TII for a direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.