Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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12. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will give further consideration to the introduction of specific funding on an annual basis to local authorities for the local improvement scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12061/22]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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As the Minister knows, up until 2012 the local improvement scheme had a substantial and specific funding stream. Unfortunately, that ceased at that time. As we know the local improvement scheme provides for the upgrading of more minor local roads which are particularly important for rural communities. At present, most counties have a significant backlog of such roads in need of urgent attention. There is a limited scheme at present, but we need substantial investment by the line Department on an annual basis to ensure this backlog is eliminated as soon as possible.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Since the 2008 recession, a significant backlog of works on regional and local roads has built up in all local authority jurisdictions across the country. The estimated cost of the backlog is in excess of €5 billion. For this reason, grant assistance from the Department continues to be focused on the protection and renewal of the public road network.

It bears restating that the public regional and road network is over 96,000 km in size and while grant funding has increased significantly in recent years, it has not been possible to address the backlog of works across the country even with 90% of available funds being directed to protection and renewal works. For this reason and in view of the funding being provided under a local improvement scheme by the Department of Rural and Community Development, I consider that I need to continue to concentrate funding on public roads.

If I were to consider allocating funding for non-public roads, this would reduce the funding available for public roads. In this context, one initiative taken since the Department of Rural and Community Development's introduction of a local improvement scheme is the provision by my Department of ring-fenced funding for the community involvement scheme. This scheme is designed to provide for the repair of more lightly trafficked public rural roads, which tend to be considered only towards the end of road authorities’ annual roadworks programmes. Under this scheme, €29 million approximately was paid to local authorities over 2020 and 2021 and this year's grants include funding of a further €15.2 million for the community involvement scheme. All available grant funding for 2022 has been allocated. There was an increased allocation recognising that new investment in our local roads is important for safety and for rural connectivity. It also saves money in the long run because if we let them go, it is much more expensive to get them back. On that basis, we allocated the funding.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. The reply prepared by the Department is somewhat inaccurate in that the backlog does not go back to 2008; it began in 2012.

The Minister and I were members of a Government that, until 2011, provided very substantial funding for the local improvement scheme. I agree that we need huge investment in our regional and local network. When the Minister met Fianna Fáil Oireachtas Members with me, he may recall that I highlighted the need to maintain investment in the non-national road network to ensure we did not lose the investment that had already been made. At the same time, I know many laneways and local roads along which ten or 12 families live. These are people of all age groups and people who, thankfully, have come back to live in their local communities. In many of those areas we have the social infrastructure in place, be it schools, sporting facilities or whatever. I now have queries from people who want to move back to rural Ireland. They want to go back to live in their home places and they ask me whether there is any chance that the roads along which they have their sites will be brought up to an acceptable and appropriate standard. These people pay their taxes, as do people living in urban areas, who have good roads and road surfaces, footpaths and public lighting. These people are being denied proper road surfaces leading to their homes, which is not acceptable. The Minister will agree with me on that, I am sure.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I agree. The Deputy is right that the Government formed in 2008 did a lot in very difficult times and with very stretched funding. It prioritised this investment. We need to do likewise in this post-Covid moment, when there is a chance to see a revival of rural Ireland. I accept that. That means we have to fund the new Connecting Ireland rural public transport system, which will be of huge benefit and help people in rural Ireland. That is why we increased the funding for local roads and made sure we maintained the funding for public road maintenance. If we let that go, it costs a lot more to bring it back. That is why the Minister for Rural and Community Development doubled the funding for the local improvement scheme under her budget allocation in 2021, providing an additional €10.5 million up to €21 million in funding. It is not that there is no recognition of the importance of rural connectivity. I refer to those three measures, namely, bus services, public roads and, through the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys, local improvement scheme funding.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the funding that has been provided through the Department of Rural and Community Development. In the past, as the Minister will recall, when the Department of Rural and Community Development had a CLÁR programme, it used to involve a top-up to the line Department's funding. The people I am talking about live down small local roads where no public transport goes but they are entitled to a proper standard of road leading to their homes. The policy is contradictory. We want people out of the major urban areas and less pressure on housing in our major cities and towns. We have the infrastructure in place, by and large, in rural Ireland. With a relatively small investment, that important road network could be brought up to a proper standard.

Does the Minister happen to recall what capital funding in 2021 his Department did not draw down? If there is an underspend on the capital side in his Department during the course of this year, it should be reallocated to councils and allocated specifically for a local improvement scheme. That would see great value for Government investment. I appeal to the Minister again to look at the particular needs of rural communities of all age groups.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I should have mentioned in my last response that there is also, I said in my first response, my Department's investment in the community involvement scheme. Since the introduction of that ring-fenced funding in 2018, there has been a significant increase, with funding allocated in two-year tranches. Approximately €14.3 million was paid to local authorities for the community scheme last year. A new round of funding is starting this year for the 2022-23 period. While community contributions in the range of 15% to 30% had been required previously, depending on the mix of works and moneys, the contribution rate has now been reduced to a minimum of 10% for monetary contributions and 20% for work contributions. It is not that our Department does not have any involvement. Through that mechanism and through the Department of Rural and Community Development, what we spend on public roads and the new money we will spend on rural bus connectivity, I hope, will attract back those people who, as the Deputy said, are thinking of coming back to live in rural Ireland.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Will the Minister give me a commitment that he and his Department colleagues will carry out an analysis of the capital spend throughout the year? If there is a slowness in drawing down some of the capital funding under any given heading, will he give due consideration to providing funding that is not drawn down by other sections to the roads section specifically for the local improvement scheme?

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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We look at that constantly. There was an underspend last year, largely because of Covid. The underspend has never been on the roads programme. We have a machine for building and spending on roads.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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May we conclude this question?

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The underinvestment has been in public transport and active travel.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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We have run out of road on this question. I am sorry.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As for rural Ireland, if there is that underspend, to my mind it is on rural public transport. That is what I would like to focus on.