Dáil debates

Thursday, 15 July 2021

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions

Departmental Schemes

10:30 am

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The local improvement scheme supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not normally maintained by local authorities but which represent vital infrastructure for rural residents. The scheme is funded by my Department and is administered through the local authorities. Nearly 2,400 roads have already been funded for repair works since the scheme was relaunched in 2017. Prior to then there was no funding for this scheme for a number of years. I launched the 2021 LIS on 14 May with funding of €10.5 million. This represented a 5% increase compared with last year.

As part of Our Rural Future, the Government committed to ensuring that the local improvement scheme is funded in the future. This reflects the important contribution that the scheme makes to connectivity in rural Ireland. It is against this background that I am pleased to confirm that I recently announced the allocation of a further €10.5 million to the local improvement scheme in 2021 to bring the level of funding to €21 million. This means that the level of funding is being doubled this year compared with the original allocation. This increase will be funded from expected savings elsewhere in my Department.

I continue to engage with my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Ryan, to explore the potential for further financial support from his Department. My Department is currently ascertaining the capacity of each local authority to deliver this additional funding and to complete works on additional roads before the year's end. Following this engagement, I expect to announce the additional allocations to individual counties shortly. This announcement will mean that almost €80 million will have been allocated under the local improvement scheme since it was re-introduced in 2017. This demonstrates the Government's commitment to improving connectivity in rural Ireland as outlined in Our Rural Future.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.