Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Niamh Smyth for her comments on the Department and acknowledging that the funding provided is helpful to rurar communities.

The CLÁR programme was the big issue raised by Deputy Fitzmaurice. As I stated, we received 490 applications last year but were only able to fund 179. I suppose the programme is a victim of its own success. Last year there was a second round of funding because of savings made in the Department. I am looking to see whether there will be savings made this year. As I stated, I have looked at different measures under the programme such as the provision of first responders and playgrounds. I have tried to strike a balance to provide a certain amount for each project. This year there was a big demand from schools.

What I am finding with a lot of Departments is that everything is being thrown on my Department. I would like to see greater collaboration with other Departments. For example, I would like to see the Department of Education and Skills providing some funding to support projects. I am actually funding the undertaking of works outside schools. I do not regret this one little bit because in some areas there have been very serious accidents in which children have been badly injured. There have also been pile-ups when parents have been dropping their children to school. We have done a lot of work inside and outside schools which includes the provision of parking spaces. We have undertaken some fantastic projects for schools under the safety scheme. It is a scheme under which next year I will be looking at changing the profile of funding. I might be able to provide more funding for schools. I would welcome the Department of Education and Skills providing a little more in that regard.

Deputy Niamh Smyth talked about the local improvement scheme, LIS. If Deputy Fitzmaurice does not mind, I will answer both Deputies at the same time. Under the LIS, I provided funding early this year. I provided it in February. Senator Conway-Walsh also raised this question.

I gave them €10 million. The spend has been €5.6 million to date. How can I give them any more money when they will not spend the money they have? It makes my job very difficult. The Deputies are both correct that there is such a demand for the LIS. I also referred to this when replying to the Senator earlier. The local authorities are charging the Department 13% in some cases for carrying out work but it varies around the country. Instead of them charging me and my Department for doing LIS roads, the time has come to have a partnership. I could do something different with the LIS. I would like the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and the local authorities to put a bit of money into the scheme. We have a major national problem with the LIS because more and more roads needing to be done. I would like to have more roads done.

Since I came into office I have put €48 million in during a short period. It is a substantial amount for this small Department and I would like a bit of support now from the local authorities. I could do what a previous Government and a previous Minister did - and there was nothing wrong with what he did - which was to make the local authority top it up in CLÁR areas. If I do that, however, I would not be able to give funding to areas that do not have CLÁR. My Department needs to have discussions with the local authorities. They also have ways and means of getting revenue in. It is one thing for me to give funding such as €10 million but then 13% of that across the board is being paid out for local authority staffing when the staff is there. It does not make sense when we have a need for the LIS. I am just putting that marker down. I want local authorities to match the funding I give. If they are doing 30 roads in a county, they could then do 60. I am making that call so that my officials and the CCMA will sit down and see if they can come up with a scheme where the local authorities would put some money in along with the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. I have asked the Chairman previously about the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport in this regard. That is the Department with responsibility for roads. If I did not bring this scheme in, there would be no scheme. I brought the scheme in. I had to go to the Government looking for funding. There was no LIS for a good many years.