Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

As I recall from my time on a local authority, the LIS similarly was always oversubscribed. There are very good schemes just like the CIS. Given the scale of our rural roads network, demand will always exceed supply. We understand that the road network suffers deterioration over time and these impacts are felt by communities especially on more lightly trafficked public roads that serve local areas. In some instances, local authorities may not be able to fund regular maintenance on these routes from within their annual roadwork programme. For this reason, the Department of Transport established and continues to fund the community involvement scheme. It is an innovative scheme that builds on the success of what was previously the LIS. The scheme facilitates local community participation in the repair and maintenance of local roads in collaboration with local authorities. I take on board the points the Deputy made. Projects in his constituency such as the Old Bog Road in Wardhouse, Drumcollip in Mohill and Kilfree in Gurteen were funded under this scheme. These projects have been beneficial to local rural communities. The 2024 regional and local roads programmes will be finalised and associated funding supports will be allocated shortly, taking into account the budget available. The objective is to allocate funding to eligible local authorities on as equitable a basis as possible, keeping protection and the renewal of the road network to the fore. Included in this programme will be the allocation for the community involvement scheme for each county. We will await the allocation and hopefully it will be good news for local authorities throughout the country.

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