Mr. Garret Doocey:

I am sure there is a narrative out there, but there are funding streams from other Departments. It can be confusing. To bring the discussion back to our Department, the Deputy is right in that we have two funding streams. They are active travel, which significant investment is going through and the NTA manages on our behalf, and the regional and local roads programme. There has been confusion in recent years, as we have ramped up the active travel programme, about the relationship between it and the regional and local roads programme.

We still believe the memorandum is a little unwieldy. An improvement was made to this year’s version to try to clarify matters for local authorities. We are looking to improve it again for next year’s issuance. Internally within the Department, we are improving our communication across the regional and local roads programme and the active travel team so that projects do not fall between the stools.

On the regional and local roads programme, the active travel-type infrastructure that is being used to support more relates to safety on regional and local roads. When there is a safety issue such as junction tightening, for example, there is an opportunity to fund it through that. If it is purely an active travel enhancement which falls more properly within the active travel programme, our preference is to direct it towards the active travel programme. We are looking to improve communications both internally and then externally to local authorities as well.