Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will look at the scheme again. We have looked at it since I came into office, but financial constraints and priorities have restrained us from putting any more money into it. We will consider it in the next budget.

Funding for road maintenance and improvement in County Offaly is provided by the council's own resources, supplemented by grants. The allocation for 2018 is expected to be announced in the next two weeks. The Department has also emphasised to all councils the importance of prioritising expenditure on roads when allocating their own resources, including local property tax receipts.

The main grant programmes operated by the Department are focused on specific policy objectives such as surface sealing to protect the road surface from water damage. Restoration maintenance grants cover road strengthening, based on pavement condition and weighting, to lengthen the life of roads. Restoration improvement grants are discretionary grant schemes that cover various activities including the provision for winter maintenance. These three grant programmes account for most of the grant funding and are allocated based on the length of the road network in a particular local authority area.

Applications for funding under the low-cost safety improvement scheme in 2018 were invited on 26 September 2017. Councils were made aware of the conditions for the applications for funding and were advised that preference would be given in the cost range of €2,000 to €30,000, and that proposals in the higher cost ranges of €30,000 to €250,000 may be considered if the benefit-to-cost ratio was promising. Offaly County Council applied for funding for six schemes to the sum of €292,000. The council will be notified shortly of allocation of funding for these schemes. It is up to individual local authorities to submit applications in order of priority. Allocations to individual municipal districts within the county are a matter for the county council and the Department has no role in that process. TII is progressing major pavement renewal and strengthening schemes on the N52 and N62, costing a total of €1.97 million. TII operates a programme of minor works and maintenance works, including winter maintenance. TII is undertaking a number of such schemes in County Offaly. TII has allocated €2.5 million to Offaly County Council in 2018.

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