Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 5: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs whether it is possible for funding allocated towards roads under the CLÁR programme to be utilised for drainage works prior to or in addition to road works being carried out. [26305/07]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides funding for non-national roads under the CLÁR programme which I announced on 1 March 2007. Under this programme, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and my Department each provide €3 million to fund works to local secondary and tertiary roads in CLÁR areas.

Under the measure, local authorities may also replace, widen or strengthen bridges on local secondary and tertiary roads, subject to the prior approval of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. My Department also operates a measure to provide additional funding to local authorities to carry out works on local improvement scheme, LIS, roads in CLÁR areas. I announced the new LIS measure for 2007 on 22 October.

Under the measures outlined above, the local authority selects the projects according to the rules laid down by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. I understand that drainage works considered necessary for the adequate improvement of a road are allowable under the measures but drainage works on their own are not eligible.

My Department has no role in the selection of the roads or the works carried out. Expertise in these matters lies with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the local authorities. In the circumstances, I suggest the Deputy make inquiries directly with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government or the local authority involved in the particular case.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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CLÁR is an excellent scheme which works well and I watch to ensure its budget is not cut this year. During many previous winters we had serious problems with flooding in many parts of rural Ireland. We had this problem even in the bad old days when people with horses and carts went out on wet days, marked the roads and knew where flooding problems occurred. We now have top-class educated people who know nothing about roads. They tar a road to the corner and leave no room for drainage.

Last year, most of the flooding occurred in south Mayo and part of the Minister's Galway constituency because proper drainage work was not done by the OPW, county councils or the Department. Nobody took responsibility for this or for the flooding when it occurred. Will the Minister, who has responsibility for rural affairs, change policy and bring together local authorities, the OPW and the Department to draw up a scheme to allow the funding provided for CLÁR to be used for road drainage? It would save the taxpayer a great deal of money.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I agree with Deputy Ring's basic premise. I can never understand roads being tarred without pipes being put in first. Double-axled trucks can destroy hand-dug drains in five minutes. People who want to return to shovels and spades do not understand the ability of modern trucks to sweep aside all before them. The answer is gully traps and pipes which is allowed under the present scheme. Putting in gully traps and pipes when a road is built and surfacing the road afterwards has proven successful. However, many people complain because they do not see the results of the work immediately. This is a priority.

In regard to the flooding in certain areas of south County Mayo and east County Galway and the wider drainage issues raised by the Deputy, it is not merely a case of road drainage. However, I am willing to investigate these issues.

At my request, the Department asked local authorities to set out their priorities in respect of CLÁR funding next year in terms of water, sewerage and group water schemes and tertiary roads. The Deputy will be happy to know funding is not being cut. However, it is important that we receive feedback from local authorities because I am willing to reduce funding for schemes that have served their purpose while increasing funding for other schemes. This is the year of the group water scheme. We have approved connections for some 3,500 households, affecting approximately 10,000 people who otherwise would never have had a piped water connection. That is a significant development for rural Ireland. The Deputy's own county has benefited hugely, as have counties Donegal and Clare. We are considering ways of focusing the funding and I will pay heed to suggestions on new priorities. However, it is also important that local authorities highlight the issues they consider important.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Will the Minister find out which among his Department, the OPW and the local authorities has responsibility for dealing with flooding? When a problem arises, nobody takes responsibility. Will a new agency be required to deal with the matter? Somebody needs to take responsibility because the issue arises every winter.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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One of my colleagues from east Galway has been pursuing me about a river flooding problem in his constituency. The regional fisheries board is interested but has no money, while the OPW denies responsibility. When I first went to the west, it was fashionable to drain land and prevent rivers flooding but such work has become somewhat unfashionable for reasons of ecology. However, as certain areas require flood remediation works, I will reflect on the issue raised by the Deputy.