Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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37. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to address concerns of extremely low maintenance spending on national, regional and local roads by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22480/16]

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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I refer to concerns about the extremely low levels of spending on maintaining national, regional and local roads. It is something the Minister's Department has acknowledged in a briefing paper. Things are now at a crisis point. Roads the length and breadth of the country are deteriorating at an alarming rate. What does the Minister intend to do to ensure there is greater investment in road infrastructure?

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I do not disagree with the sentiments of Deputy Troy that the roads are in dire need of additional funds. It is something we are addressing as a matter of urgency.

As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in regard to the national roads programme. The construction, improvement and maintenance of individual national roads is a matter for TII, under the Roads Act, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.

Within its capital budget, the assessment and prioritisation of individual national road projects is a matter for TII in accordance with section 19 of the Roads Act. The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of local authorities, in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act 1993, as amended. Works on these roads are funded from the local authority's own resources, supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for each authority.

Ireland has just under 100,000 km of road in its network and the maintenance and improvement of national, regional and local roads places a substantial financial burden on local authorities and the Exchequer. As a result of the national financial position, there have been very large reductions in the funding available for road expenditure over the past number of years.

The capital plan, published in September 2015, outlined proposed transport investment priorities to 2022. It provides €6 billion for investment in the roads network in the period to 2022, with €4.4 billion earmarked for the maintenance and strengthening of the existing extensive network throughout the country and €1.6 billion for new projects, including PPP already underway. The transport element of the capital plan is based on a gradual buildup over the plan period in capital funding for the road network from the current relatively low base towards the levels needed to support maintenance and improvement works.

While I fully recognise the importance of maintenance and renewal work on the roads, as Minister I have to work within the capital and current budgets available to my Department. In view of the continuing constraints on State funding, my Department has emphasised to local authorities the importance of prioritising expenditure on roads when allocating their resource income.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister is correct; it is the statutory responsibility of local authorities to maintain roads. I do not know whether the Minister was a member of a local authority in the past, but from my experience when local authorities are allocated money it is well spent and roads are kept in a good condition. Over the past four years, 47% less than what was required was allocated to various roads.

To put the reduction in context, in 2015, €400 million that was paid in motor tax was spent on the establishment of Irish Water, and a payment of €439 million in road tax is due to go to Irish Water in 2016. It is no wonder people are annoyed at the condition of the roads. It is not just me: my colleague Deputy Michael McGrath has also tabled a question on road projects. I met with a delegation of councillors from Monaghan who were infuriated with the condition of the roads. It is not good enough to say it is the statutory responsibility of the local authorities. They will carry out their work in an appropriate manner if they are given the necessary resources to do so.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I am afraid it is a reality in which we are now working. I remind the Deputy that public funding for Ireland's national roads fell significantly during the recession. From a peak of €1.75 billion in 2007, capital and current expenditure on national roads reduced to €433 million in 2015. The start of year capital and current expenditure allocation for 2016 is €402 million. The steep decline in expenditure on roads during that period spans several Administrations and several years. It is inevitable at this stage that we are in a situation which is critical, admittedly, in certain places but it is not just the result of spendthrift or generous spending on roads at certain times in the past decade, it is also the result of the fact that as the Deputy is aware, we have an extraordinarily high number of roads, 100,000 km, which is amazing and is way above the EU average. The roads present a burden not just in terms of maintenance but also in terms of capital expenditure, which is not endured by any other nation in Europe.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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In Ireland we benefit from a high percentage of car ownership, which is not the case in any other European country. That means we have a higher percentage of people who pay road tax. The very least those who pay motor tax on their cars can expect is to travel on safe roads. The sorry situation now is that many roads are unsafe because we have not invested enough in road restoration. The figures the Minister outlined from 2007 to 2015 include new constructions. We have not had new roads constructed in recent years but we have had a siphoning off of money raised from road tax for the establishment of what in the words of the Minister is a super quango, namely, Irish Water. It is not surprising that motorists are infuriated by the condition of the roads. I ask the Minister to ensure that the bulk of the motor tax people pay is ring-fenced to ensure we have the necessary resources to maintain the infrastructure that has been put in place over many years.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I assure the Deputy that I will do everything I can in the coming months to ensure that we have a capital budget for the motorways and other roads that is as large as possible, because I am aware of the problem every day of my life. What is called the steady State expenditure, which is such a high proportion of the money we have spent on roads, explains a lot of the problem to which the Deputy refers. The fact that we have to spend so much money just on the maintenance of the roads because the network is so extensive is indicative of the problems, which is going to remain with us for a long period. As the Deputy is aware, there are plans in the capital plan for some fairly dramatic movement upwards and spending on roads from 2019 onwards. I am very optimistic that when that period comes we will see a great improvement in the roads and that the spending on some of the areas that are high profile and have been lacking will be extended.