Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am giving away no secrets to the Deputy in telling him this issue was included in the programme for Government and that it came from members of my group. I am kept conscious by the day of what the Deputy is saying by another source. The pressure exerted on me will be equally effective from elsewhere. The Deputy is kicking at a vulnerable and open door when talking about the issue. While the fund will not be restored to its old form, the programme for Government stated:

"As the economy recovers, we will promote increased funding for local improvement schemes and community involvement schemes, on an annual basis. A major transport objective for the new Government will be to prioritise new investment in local and regional road maintenance and improvements and the LIS and CIS will play a key role in meeting that objective. As part of our commitment to local government reform we will also give councils greater discretion in how they spend their money on local and regional roads. We will expand the scheme to include the taking in charge of non-council roads with a view to having this scheme up and running by end 2017".

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