Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)

I thank Deputy Tom Hayes for raising this matter, which relates to the constituency we share. I visited Lagganstown, which was mentioned by the Deputy, last Saturday. I express my sympathy to those who have been affected by the recent flooding in many parts of the country, including County Tipperary.

In September 2004, the Government confirmed that the Office of Public Works is the State's lead agency in dealing with flooding. It is tasked with delivering an integrated and multifaceted programme that is aimed at mitigating future flood risk and impact. The repair and improvement of regional and local roads following flooding is a matter for the relevant local authority, to be funded from its own resources supplemented by State road grants paid by the Department of Transport. The initial selection of works to be funded from such grants is also a matter for each local authority. The funding of national roads is a matter for the National Roads Authority. When grants for regional and local roads are allocated at the beginning of each year. The Department of Transport does not hold back a reserve allocation at central level to deal with weather contingencies as such an arrangement would involve a reduction in the allocations that are made. Instead, the allocation made to local authorities is inclusive of the weather risk factor and local authorities are expressly advised to set aside contingency sums from their overall regional and local roads resources to finance necessary weather related works. This stipulation is clearly set out in the circular letter that is sent with the yearly road grant allocations.

Grants totalling €447.477 million were allocated to local authorities for works on regional and local roads in 2009. This allocation included a discretionary maintenance grant of €29.56 million and a discretionary improvement grant of €12.5 million. These moneys are available at the discretion of county councils to fund contingency works arising from weather conditions. The Department of Transport is prepared to consider sympathetically any request from local authorities to adjust their multi-annual restoration programmes or revise their specific grant applications to prioritise work necessitated by severe weather conditions. Local authorities have been allocated a total of €144.951 million in restoration improvement grants and €85 million in restoration maintenance grants in 2009. Local authorities are continuing to assess the extent of flood damage in their regions. It will be some time before they can quantify the damage sustained to regional and local road networks. More time will pass before repair works can be costed.

Deputy Tom Hayes will appreciate that neither I nor the Minister for Transport can indicate at this time what funding might be needed or available to address damage caused to the regional and local road network. Officials in the Department of Transport are maintaining contact with local authorities affected by flooding. The current difficulties faced by those authorities are being monitored and will be taken into account in the 2010 regional and local road grant allocations to the extent that resources will allow. As a Deputy who shares the Tipperary South constituency with Deputy Hayes, I am glad that many road maintenance improvements that have been undertaken by South Tipperary County Council in 2009, many of them on roads between his house and mine. I am certain the council will give priority, within the funds available, to the repair of road structures that were damaged by recent heavy rains and flooding in certain parts of the county.

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