Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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8. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will support a pilot scheme to alter the strategic approach taken by local authorities of maintaining rural roads by targeting the maintenance of verges and watercourses on local roads with a view to minimising the damage caused by surface water run off; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15148/14]

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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The old maxim states, "If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got". The crisis of our country roads has reached breaking point and it is high time for us to take a fresh look at how we maintain our roads. I made a proposal, to which the question relates, that 2% of the road tax collected in County Cork be used to complete serious drainage maintenance on 1,000 km of roadway. However, until we take the water off the roadways, the €330 million that the Department allocated to the local authorities will have been wasted.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Deputy.

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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We have to take the water off the roadways. I am not seeking to get the Minister to say that he will allow-----

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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We are over time.

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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-----or encourage the authorities, but I hope he would direct the authorities because with the €330 million allocated the Department has a responsibility to ensure the local authorities do not simply put tarmac on top of tarmac but will take the water off the roads to ensure the maintenance of those roads.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I agree with the Deputy that drainage is an issue of particular importance that local authorities need to give consideration to in their work programmes. Indeed, last year I made a specific allocation for proper drainage work in order to protect pavement surfaces to focus their attention on this area.

However, it must be stated that the improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority. Works on those roads are funded from local authorities own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the local authority concerned.

In January, I announced that €331.9 million was being provided to local authorities for the maintenance and improvement of regional and local roads in 2014. This year, I decided to give local authorities increased flexibility. I reduced the number of grant categories and increased the amount allocated under the discretionary grant heading which will facilitate the transfer of funds between key grant categories where local authorities need this. This gives greater flexibility to local authorities to focus their expenditure on drainage if they so wish.

In the context of the Government's political reform agenda, the Government's policy has been to transfer more powers and autonomy to local authorities. Instead of giving directions to them, I would rather allow them to make decisions for themselves, particularly when it comes to local and regional roads.

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister. I also acknowledge his proactive steps to date in allowing discretion in this area. That is very much welcomed by the area engineers on the ground and increased discretion will always be welcome.

However, we have a responsibility to the taxpayer and €330 million is being poured into the roads on resurfacing and doing minor maintenance works in many cases. Anybody who works on the roads or uses them will agree that the water needs to be taken off the roads. For the past 20 years the local authorities have not taken the water off the roads. They have not cleared the drains and have not allowed the drainage to occur. While that continues, all the money we pour into local roads will be wasted. I hope the Minister takes a more proactive role. While I take his point about local government reform, if the Department is allocating €330 million we have a responsibility to ensure that at the very least there should be a prerequisite that the water should be taken off the roads to ensure that any maintenance works will last into the future.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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It is worth pointing out that the €330 million represents the State road grants that come from the Department via the motor tax. Local authorities can add their own resources to that - some are very good and some are very bad. For every €1 that the Government gives Fingal County Council for local and regional roads, that council matches it with €2. Other counties are considerably worse - only matching every €1 from central government with 10 cent. There is a big issue for candidates in the local authority elections to commit to putting more of their discretionary resources into roads, particularly when it comes to the property tax revenues, 80% of which will stay local from next year. I encourage Deputies to make that point to councillors and county managers when they meet them.

The bigger-picture problem here is, of course, that even with the money allocated by the Department and that put in by the local authorities, it is simply not enough. We are well short of where we need to be in terms of road maintenance. I am concerned that because of inadequate resources we are storing up bigger problems for the future.