Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the three Deputies. The scheme has been very successful. This scheme had been closed for several years and has now reopened. Funding has been allocated to 1,100 roads until the end of the year.

This year's budget voted €10 million, which I have increased to €10.7 million. I will seek savings in my Department and if I have further funds available this year, I will look at the local improvement scheme, LIS, as an area in which I can spend this. I took €7.7 million in savings last year and put it into the LIS at the end of the year. That is why I have asked local authorities to give us the list, and to be fair, most local authorities have given me their priority lists. I have grant aided funding to them and asked them to come up with a second list. I will write to them again to prioritise that secondary list. If I have extra funds, that is where it will go. Deputy Scanlon is correct. This scheme has worked very well.

I want to clarify something for Deputy Calleary and others. I do not pick the schemes. The local authorities pick the schemes, and I want to put that on the record.

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