Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This matter has been raised with the Minister, Deputy Ross, previously and I am pleased to restate the position in the House this evening.

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 the local authority’s own resources supplemented by State road grants.

I must emphasise that the initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is a matter for the local authority. Regarding grants provided by my Department, allocations are made at county council 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, 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 these grant schemes had to be curtailed from 2013 because expenditure on maintenance or renewal was falling well short of what was required to adequately maintain the regional and local road network.

The capital plan does provide for the gradual build up in funding for the road network but it will take some years yet 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 the 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 put forward by local authorities for consideration must comply with the requirements of the public spending code and the Department’s capital appraisal framework. For this reason the Department has issued an updated set of project appraisal documentation to local authorities. If Galway County Council wishes to prioritise works on the Derrartha Road then it needs to undertake and submit to the Department a preliminary appraisal for the project. Any such appraisal would need to consider options and costings for any improvement works. Any appraisal submitted by the council would then be examined by the Department along with other proposals from other local authorities. Given continuing funding constraints on all projects there is considerable competition for available funds.

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