Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)

I am taking this important matter for the Minister for Transport, Deputy Dempsey, and thank Deputy Kehoe for raising it.

The Minister for Transport appreciates the work done by the local authorities, the National Roads Authority and, particularly, the local authority front-line staff. He thanks them for the exceptional work which they undertook in sometimes appalling conditions to deal with the impact of the recent severe weather.

As well as the impact the severe weather had on the daily lives of citizens, it also has a serious impact on parts of the road network. Damage to road surfaces is an unfortunate consequence of the type of weather experienced before Christmas. Ireland has a uniquely extensive road network with over 96,000 km of road, two and a half times the EU average. The maintenance and improvement of this extensive network places a substantial financial burden on local authorities and on the Exchequer. Since 1997, over €6 billion has been provided to local authorities under the regional and local roads investment programme. The first priority, therefore, has to be to safeguard this investment, in so far as this is possible, taking account of the recent weather impacts and the current difficulties with the public finances.

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 local authorities' resources supplemented by State road grants which are inclusive of the weather-risk factor.

The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the local authority. Some local authorities contribute as little as 5% to their total road expenditure from their own resources. Local authorities need to prioritise increased expenditure from their own resources on their own roads this year in view of the current difficult situation.

The Minister for Transport's role in addressing damage caused to the road network is in disbursing the €374.576 million provided in the 2011 Estimates for funding regional and local roads in the most equitable and targeted manner possible. It is anticipated the grant allocations which will be announced shortly will reflect an increased focus on repair works and maintenance. It is particularly important local authorities carefully reassess their planned road programmes for 2011 in the light of the impact of the recent bad weather on their road networks. Local authorities will also be provided with flexibility in terms of re-evaluating their three-year restoration programmes.

The Minister for Transport has responsibility for the overall policy and funding for the national roads programme element of Transport 21. The construction, improvement and maintenance of individual national roads are matters for the NRA under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2007 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.

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