Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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70. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the steps her Department has taken to address the backlog of applications in the local improvement scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53699/22]

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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I ask the Minister about the ongoing backlog within the local improvement scheme. We are all aware of the scheme and the demand for it. I know the Minister has increased funding to it, which is welcome, but there seems to be huge demand that is not being met in counties throughout the State. Will she provide up with an update on that?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The local improvement scheme, LIS, supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not normally maintained by local authorities. Rural connectivity is an important element in Our Rural Future. Such roads represent a vital piece of infrastructure for rural residents, providing access to people’s homes and farms as well as outdoor amenities such as lakes, rivers or beaches.

LIS was reintroduced in 2017 following a number of years with no dedicated funding in place. The scheme is administered locally by the relevant local authority, which is responsible for prioritising and selecting eligible applications within broad parameters set by my Department. I have prioritised the scheme in my Department, and this year alone I have allocated €22 million to LIS. While there are, of course, competing demands on finite resources, in four of the past six years, additional resources were directed to the scheme mid-year to address strong demand for the scheme across rural Ireland.

Since the scheme was reintroduced in 2017, aggregate investment has now surpassed the €100 million mark. I acknowledge there is strong demand for the scheme and in some counties local authorities have significant levels of applications on hand. I have asked my officials to engage with local authorities to ascertain what level of applications were in hand in each county and what could be delivered in 2023 should additional funding become available. I am satisfied that the roads local improvement scheme continues to play an important role in the delivery of our rural development policy, Our Rural Future.

When I was growing up, I lived somewhere with a lane nearly a mile long and I know the benefit of the LIS and the difference it can make to rural dwellers, in particular. It creates access, whether it is a milk or feed lorry or whatever else needs to get in and out of lanes. It is a good scheme and I am glad we have been able to provide additional funding for it.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister and acknowledge that she has put a focus on the scheme and there has been additional funding. She said the same thing last year about her Department reaching out to local authorities to see what they had on their books, what had not been completed and what they could complete by the end of the year. I presume from the response of the Minister that is happening again now. It would be useful for all of us to have the figures, local authority by local authority, regarding what is left and what can be completed by the end of this year and into 2023.

The Minister has said many times that she has engaged with the Department of Transport with a view to it providing additional funding to go along with the funding she provides through her Department. That would be very welcome. In the nicest way possible, I wish to ask whether she is meeting resistance from that Department. It previously funded the scheme and I do not see why it would not make a contribution. The Minister might be able to come back to me on that.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Roads were always funded by the Department of Transport. In fairness to Deputy Michael Ring, when he became Minister in the Department, he started to fund them. No more than Deputy Kerrane, we are rural Deputies and know the benefits. He created a fund within the Department of Rural and Community Development.

The Department of Transport has a very large capital budget, far in excess of what my Department has. I am putting 10% of my budget into LIS schemes via the capital budget. I have raised the matter with the Minister, Deputy Ryan, on a number of occasions and have not made much progress yet. I am a firm believer that if you do not succeed, you try and try again. I will continue to keep after the Minister, Deputy Ryan, on this because that Department should match the funding. If it matched the fund I am putting in place, we would not be long getting rid of the list of LIS schemes. I spoke to representatives from Leitrim County Council the other day and it has cleared its backlog. I want to see how we can get rid of the backlog.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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I presume the Minister does not have figures on the backlog and the number of applications that are live and have not yet been completed. I understand that is what her Department is gathering and the information would be helpful. Perhaps "resistance" is the wrong word, but I know the Minister has raised this matter a number of times with the Minister, Deputy Ryan. Obviously, all of us have a job of work to do in putting it across to him nicely that funding is badly needed. If we could clear the backlog, perhaps the funding provided by the Department of Rural and Community Development would be enough. A joint venture between both Departments would be helpful and there is a role to play for the Department of Transport. All of us, including the Minister, have a job of work to do to convince the Minister, Deputy Ryan, that the funding would be appreciated and well spent.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I appreciate the help of the Deputy in convincing people of the benefits of the scheme. I know all rural Deputies feel the same. The issue was raised in the House recently. Perhaps we can convince the Department of the Minister, Deputy Ryan, to help us deal with the backlog and get rid of it.

As I said, some counties are doing quite well and have nearly cleared their backlog. Others have more lanes than others. In my county of Monaghan, there are a serious number of lanes. Everybody seems to live in a lane when it comes to farming. That is how things developed over the years. It is important the councils give us their lists. When it comes to top-up money during the year, I write to local authorities to ask them what they can deliver by the end of the year. Some are ambitious and deliver, while others do not put in a request. It is up to local authorities to decide what they request and can deliver. It is important the money is spent when I give it to them. We will keep working on it.