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

The local improvement scheme, LIS, supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not normally maintained by local authorities. Rural connectivity is an important element in Our Rural Future. Such roads represent a vital piece of infrastructure for rural residents, providing access to people’s homes and farms as well as outdoor amenities such as lakes, rivers or beaches.

LIS was reintroduced in 2017 following a number of years with no dedicated funding in place. The scheme is administered locally by the relevant local authority, which is responsible for prioritising and selecting eligible applications within broad parameters set by my Department. I have prioritised the scheme in my Department, and this year alone I have allocated €22 million to LIS. While there are, of course, competing demands on finite resources, in four of the past six years, additional resources were directed to the scheme mid-year to address strong demand for the scheme across rural Ireland.

Since the scheme was reintroduced in 2017, aggregate investment has now surpassed the €100 million mark. I acknowledge there is strong demand for the scheme and in some counties local authorities have significant levels of applications on hand. I have asked my officials to engage with local authorities to ascertain what level of applications were in hand in each county and what could be delivered in 2023 should additional funding become available. I am satisfied that the roads local improvement scheme continues to play an important role in the delivery of our rural development policy, Our Rural Future.

When I was growing up, I lived somewhere with a lane nearly a mile long and I know the benefit of the LIS and the difference it can make to rural dwellers, in particular. It creates access, whether it is a milk or feed lorry or whatever else needs to get in and out of lanes. It is a good scheme and I am glad we have been able to provide additional funding for it.

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