Shane McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Question 37: To ask the Minister for Transport if additional funding has been made available to local authorities or the National Roads Authority for road maintenance following the bad winter weather; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27263/10]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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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 local authorities' own resources and are supplemented by State road grants paid by my Department. Each year, as Minister for Transport I announce the allocation of grant funds to local authorities. This year, a total of €411 million is being provided to local authorities for the maintenance and improvement of regional and local roads.

Local authorities provided details of exceptional road-related costs that fell outside the normal financial provision for winter maintenance. I took account of this information when deciding on the allocations for 2010. My priority was to protect the significant investment of €6 billion in the regional and local roads network since 1997. I decided to defer the planned rehabilitation works on regional and local roads in 2010 in order to provide greater flexibility to local authorities. I requested that they carefully target resources to address, on a priority basis, the most urgently required repairs resulting from the extensive damage caused by the prolonged severe weather.

The Exchequer grants are a supplement to expenditure by the local authorities. I have repeatedly stressed the importance of local authorities allocating sufficient own resources for the improvement and maintenance of the regional and local roads network. In recent times, I have received representations from a number of local authorities and public representatives seeking an increase in the funding for regional and local roads in their particular areas. However, I must point out that all of those grants have been allocated. In view of the current Exchequer position, no further funds are available from which additional allocations could be made in 2010.

Shane McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I am always hopeful there are a few pounds somewhere. I will still fight for that. I take this opportunity on my behalf and on behalf of my party to congratulate the Minister, the Department, the Road Safety Authority, Mr. Noel Brett, Mr. Gay Byrne and everyone involved in road safety for receiving the award yesterday in Brussels. The Minister accepted this on behalf of the people and he excelled in pushing things forward. We always said our aim was to be number one and that will be the case with the support of everyone.

However, on a daily basis we see a number of people on the sides of roads with punctures. That is due to what is happening on our roads. I saw one on the M3 the other day. Local authorities have done everything to mend our roads after the winter but it remains a serious problem. This will lead to serious road trouble and deaths if we do not get extra funding to continue the work done by the councils over the past four or five months. The Minister said he looked for money. Is it true he sought €25 million but was not given it? Can the Minister go back for money? Unless we fix this problem, we will go backwards in terms of progress on the number of road deaths. I do not like to hear the Minister saying the door is closed. Drink-driving and speed are being dealt with but road conditions are not improving. A sum of €25 million will go a long way at the expense of any other Department. It would be wrong for us not to seek it. We know we cannot bring back anyone who died but we owe this to them if they died as a result of speed, drink-driving or careless driving.

I ask the Minister to go back to the drawing board. If the Minister has to rob any Department to do so, I will support him in every way. I know what is happening and that is a major problem.

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy McEntee for his congratulations and comments on the road safety award. I received it on behalf of everyone involved in road safety. I thank Deputy McEntee, his party and other parties in the House, who have a share in this award. It is important to say that and that was why I thought it was important to go and receive the award on behalf of the people of Ireland. Everyone played a part in this - the Deputies opposite, the RSA, the Garda Síochána, officials at the Department of Transport and drivers on the roads who have changed their behaviour significantly. I acknowledge that on their behalf.

I will always seek more money if there is any hope of getting it. I always ask the Minister for Finance for funds. Unfortunately, we are in a financial situation that means there is no extra money rolling around in the State coffers. The €25 million to which the Deputy referred was not a request but an estimate of the amount of damage done to national roads. The NRA provided that estimate of damage. Local authorities were also asked to provide estimates and submitted estimates of €180 million in damage between the floods and the severe weather. An additional €9 million was estimated for gritting during that long period. From the sum of €411 million, I allocated €240 million to local authorities to use specifically for the improvement of those roads. The Deputy has acknowledged that local authorities have done a good job so far in getting to repair the roads. I accept Deputy McEntee's point that some roads are still causing difficulties but these must be repaired from the resources of the local authority or from the allocation provided. There is no point in holding back in the hope of getting more money because I cannot see myself getting any more money for that purpose during the course of this year.