Dáil debates
Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions
Community Development Projects
10:40 pm
Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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76. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if consideration is being given to providing an enhanced or additional LIS package for areas, particularly in north Louth, that have been badly affected by recent flooding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4007/24]
Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I ask the Minister if consideration is being given to providing an enhanced or additional local improvement scheme package for areas, particularly in north Louth, that have been affected by recent flooding, and if she will make a statement on the matter. The Minister has visited the area and is aware of some of the issues. We will probably have time later to deal with some of that but the LIS will be needed to deal with some of the damage that is being done to those local lanes and whatever, and it is worse than the usual set of circumstances.
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Ó Murchú. The local improvement scheme supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not normally maintained by local authorities. The scheme makes an important contribution to connectivity in rural Ireland. As part of Our Rural Future, the Government is committed to ensuring that the local improvement scheme is funded into the future. The scheme was re-introduced in 2017 following a number of years with no dedicated funding. Between 2017 and 2023, my Department allocated almost €130 million towards improvement works on over 4,000 non-public roads and lanes. These works have benefitted over 20,000 landowners and residents in rural areas. In 2023 alone, a record investment of almost €30 million was allocated to local authorities across the country. Some €422,764 was allocated to Louth County Council to complete works on its list of priority roads. I am glad to confirm that the allocation for the local improvement scheme in 2024 is €13.55 million, which is an increase of €1 million on the initial funding allocated in 2023. In the interests of giving local authorities the maximum amount of time to carry out works on eligible roads, I intend to announce the 2024 scheme imminently. My officials will be in contact with local authorities regarding the detail of the scheme as soon as it is announced.
Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. I do not think anybody will complain about any moneys for the local improvement scheme; obviously the more the merrier. We are all aware of the necessary works that have been done and while local authorities will, in normal times, be able to prioritise, the problem with this is that the huge level of damage done by the recent flooding has impacted on a huge number of lanes that even the people who live on them may not have considered until now. As I say, in some instances we are talking about cases where there is nearly no road and no short-term mitigation or whatever is going to deal with that. We have already seen roads that at times were probably dealt with by the CIS where the local authority had no choice but to deal with those. Therefore, there is a particular anomaly here and we need to look at funding for those roads that are damaged by such freak scenarios as the recent flooding we had in north Louth.
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. In fairness, Louth is one of those counties that does not have a big backlog on its LIS but I accept that the county certainly has an issue with storm damage. I have been up in County Louth myself, as the Deputy knows, out on the Cooley Peninsula, and I saw the scale of the damage that was done there. It is unbelievable when you see the water. It just came down the mountains and ripped up everything. It was terrible. I will be meeting with my officials shortly around LIS allocations for the year ahead and I know there is cross-party support on this because Senators McGahon and McGreehan have also raised this particular issue with me. I will certainly look at this and consider what we can do. If there is any flexibility we can provide, depending on the road in question, the local authority and indeed the Department of Transport may be able to assist as well. However, I do not think I have been found wanting in terms of the LIS. Anytime I had surplus money I have topped up the schemes because there are some counties with very long lists.
Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I appreciate that and welcome any flexibility there can be that would benefit Louth and particularly the Cooley Peninsula and the huge damage done. Louth County Council has done some short-term mitigation works. It has an application in at this point for €260,000. As regards the Department of Transport, there is an ask in of €1.6 million because of the huge damage that was done to the local road infrastructure and there are wider works that need to be done in mitigation and drainage, and that is before we even talk about the works that need to be done by Uisce Éireann and others in fixing the drainage system in Dundalk. The list needs to be looked at from the point of view of roads that are in a really bad state or, as I say, lanes for which people might not necessarily have looked for it otherwise. I am sure the Minister has heard as well that farmers in north County Louth are also looking for some sort of funding scheme for the damage they have to deal with-----
Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Go raibh maith agat, a Theachta. We are way over time.
Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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-----and the moneys they may already have spent at this point. It is something I have brought up with the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, a number of times.
David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister's commitment to local areas that were badly damaged by the flooding, especially due to Storm Babet, and my own area of Midleton in east Cork which suffered more than most. In County Cork alone, the damage to the roads is over €60 million, including those to which the Minister refers. Therefore, any help at all that can be made available will be most welcome.
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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When it comes to the LIS, there are a lot of hungry mouths and unfortunately I have a limited pot of money available. The need for more money is regularly raised with me in this House. We have invested €100 million since 2017 and it has made a big impact. My Department is continuing to engage with my colleague, the Minister for Transport, regarding his Department contributing to a jointly-funded LIS so that we can further address the very high demand under the local improvement scheme, but I understand the difficulties people encounter whenever there is severe flooding like there was in Midleton and of course out there on the Cooley Peninsula where I was as well.
Regarding the farmers, that is something that has been raised and it relates to the Department of Agriculture. My Department has the humanitarian aid scheme from the Department of Social Protection that helps the household owners and then there is the business scheme from the Department of business. Again, I know some farmers were left in a difficult position.