Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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32. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if additional funding to local authorities for the repair and upgrade of local and regional roads will be provided in view of the significant backlog of work that exists and the impact of recent extreme weather events. [17780/18]

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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We will take the Minister up on that offer of the cross-party briefing, like before. I hope he will be able to enlighten us more than he has today.

On the funding for repair and upgrade of our local and regional roads, considering the significant backlog of work that exists and the impact of the recent adverse weather, what is the Government's plan to assist local authorities?

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I have replied to a similar question to this already but I admit this is a somewhat different angle. Responsibility for the maintenance and improvement of regional and local roads rests with the relevant local authority. The grant funding provided by the Exchequer is intended to supplement local authorities’ own resources. The capital investment plan provides for the phased restoration of funding to the levels needed to maintain the road network in a steady-state condition and allowing for some investment in road improvement schemes but it is going to take time for funding to build up to the required level.

I announced the 2018 regional and local road allocations on 29 January and all grant funding available to my Department has now been allocated. The grants this year include provision for an 18% increase in restoration improvement moneys for road strengthening works, a 17% increase in restoration maintenance moneys for surface dressing works, the introduction of an important new grant for drainage works to the overall value of €10 million and ring-fenced moneys for community involvement schemes, CIS, to the overall value of €10 million. Following an application process, local authorities will be advised of their grant funding for CIS within a few weeks.

It is a matter for each council to determine its priorities and decide its work programme, taking into account available grant funding and its own resources. In this context I continue to emphasise to local authorities the importance of prioritising roads when allocating their own resources. I have to work within the resources available to me and there is no additional funding available to my Department at present. My colleague, the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, is liaising with local authorities on clean-up costs from the recent severe weather. I have liaised with the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, and will continue to do so to see if additional resources can be allocated to my Department to assist local authorities further. For now, local authorities should progress their work programmes for the year as quickly as possible. So far €30.3 million in regional and local road grant funding has been drawn down from the total allocation of €417 million.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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This year's funding allocation is still €160 million or about one third below the steady-state level required to repair our local and regional roads. The recent audit by the National Oversight and Audit Commission found that 70% of regional roads had some form of structural or surface deficit. Poorly maintained roads are extremely unsafe. They cost lives and cause damage to vehicles. In the long term, they cost much more to the State to repair. Sometimes people consider that regional roads are just outside the Pale. Regional and local roads are the backbone of Ireland's transport network and account for 94% of the road network and 54% of road traffic. They go from Dún Laoghaire right down into the south of Cork and up into the north of Donegal.

Earlier this year, we tabled a Private Members' motion on the Government preparing a response on exactly how it would deal with the National Oversight and Audit Commission report.

How is that report progressing and when will it be published? The Minister needs to do more than liaise with the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe. He should put pressure on the latter to ensure that funding is secured in order that when the report is published, it will be backed with the resources required to implement its recommendations.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I assure the Deputy that I will put as much pressure as possible on the Minister for Finance. I recognise the need for more money for roads. However, I also recognise the fact that there is enormous demand on the national purse and that this is only one example, albeit a very important one. I also recognise that funding for national roads was cut by approximately €6 million, to €31.5 million, in budget 2018 and that the regional-local roads budget was cut by €8.1 million. The Deputy will recognise that the capital funding has increased by €100 million and that the total has increased by €93 million.

As regards the impact of the cuts on regional and local roads, each year 5% of the network has to be strengthened and 5% has to be sealed by way of surface dressing works in order to avoid further deterioration in the condition of the network. This represents 4,700 km under each heading. This year, based on the estimated cost per kilometre of works, it is forecast that local authorities will surface dress approximately 2,300 km and strengthen approximately 2,100 km. Given the importance of surface dressing as an early intervention measure to protect roads and the impact of an €8.1 million cut in current funding for this year, it has been necessary to supplement the current surface dressing budget with capital funds. I do not underestimate the problem. The Deputy is pointing out a real challenge in front of us. We will not reach steady-state levels until approximately 2021.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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In A Programme for a Partnership Government, the Minister committed to increasing funding for roads by 50% to €447 million. That has not yet happened. That figure is still below what is required to achieve steady-state levels. The Minister gave a commitment, in the debate on a substantive Private Member's motion that was brought before the Dáil earlier this year, to the effect that he would come back and give a detailed response on how the Government is going to address the issues raised by the National Oversight and Audit Commission. It is not me, but an independent body which is saying that 70% of regional roads have some form of structural or surface deficit. When can we expect a response? Can the Minister confirm that when that response is forthcoming, it will be backed up with the resources necessary? It is not good enough for the Minister to say that it is the responsibility of the local authorities. He knows that local authorities do the job and that they are funded to it by his Department.

Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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I support my colleague, Deputy Troy. The Minister commented that more money is going into capital infrastructure. We welcome that, but there is no point in robbing Peter to pay Paul where the overall upgrading of our roads is concerned. The roads in east Cork are so damaged that it is as if a bomb was detonated. I have raised the issue with the Minister a few times. It is all fine upgrading street paving in villages such as Killeagh and Castlemartyr and the main infrastructure from Cork to Rosslare. However, the byroads are not being looked after. They are falling way behind.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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Deputy Troy is absolutely correct about the programme for Government commitment. However, the term of the Government is not over. We have three years to go.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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That is news to me.

Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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There are not three years left on the agreement.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The Deputies should give the Government a bit of time to fulfil that commitment. He should not be premature about announcing the end of the Government. We have a long time in which to fulfil that particular promise.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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Deputies Moran and Canney seem uncertain about how long it is going to last.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I have warned the local authorities about this by letter. I am aware that the expectation in some - not all - local authorities is that when the roads fall into disrepair, we will provide more money. We provided a large increase in grants this year, a fact I imparted to Deputy Brendan Ryan earlier, and I have warned them of the difficulties we have encountered. This is a very challenging situation and it is getting worse. The Deputies should not expect a steady-state situation to be reached until 2021.