Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his very eloquent advocacy for this village regarding the issue of the road which he says is in such bad repair. I take his point about the area and its large population of 5,000 people, about the fact that the repairs were stopped up to 2008 and that it is obviously an important road in an area that contains an Irish college, a fire service and schools. He said that the community has been protesting for the past five years - certainly for a long time. I am aware that there have been meetings on the matter in recent weeks, which has probably sparked the Deputy's renewed interest in it.

I understand that the road in question connects Carraroe to the Connemara islands. As the Deputy knows, the maintenance and improvement 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 the local authority’s own resources, supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is a matter for the local authority. As regards grants provided by my Department, allocations are made at local authority level and the distribution of grants to municipal districts is a matter for each council. It is also open to each local authority to prioritise the allocation of its own resources to address road issues in particular areas.

Before the financial crisis, to which the Deputy referred, local authorities could apply on a regular basis for specific grants for schemes costing less than €5 million and for strategic improvement grants for schemes costing more than €5 million with a view to strengthening, widening or realigning regional and local roads. However, the extent of the cutbacks in grant funding during the crisis meant that these grant schemes had to be curtailed from 2013 because expenditure on maintenance and renewal was falling well short of what was required to adequately maintain the regional and local road network.

The capital plan for the period 2016 to 2021 provides for the gradual build up in funding for the road network, but it will take many years to reach the level required for the adequate maintenance and renewal of the network. For this reason there continues to be very limited scope for funding projects under the specific grant programme. Any projects proposed by local authorities for consideration under this grant programme are assessed by my Department on a case-by-case basis, with particular consideration given to higher-cost bridge rehabilitation works, significant safety schemes and improvement works that promote employment.

All projects proposed by local authorities for consideration must comply with the requirements of the public spending code and the Department’s capital appraisal framework. It is important for local authorities to prioritise projects within their overall area of responsibility with these requirements in mind. It is, therefore, for Galway County Council, as part of its budget and road programme planning process, to assess the condition of the road and what works might be needed taking into account its overall priorities.

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