Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)
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67. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the proposals to address the estimated 4,000 roads that remain outstanding under the local improvement scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26586/25]

Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)
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The local improvement scheme, LIS, is very important for rural communities and rural roadways. At this time, the Minister might be able to explain the Department's proposals on how it intends to address the estimated 4,000 roads that remain outstanding under the scheme. I would appreciate if the Minister explained it to us.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Collins. The local improvement scheme is a vital support for rural communities to improve non-public rural roads and local laneways. Since 2017 almost €170 million has been provided by the Government to local authorities under the scheme. I will repeat that figure of €170 million. In April 2024 €40 million in funding was announced for the LIS for all local authorities for 2024 and 2025, with €2.87 million allocated to Cork County Council. While the Department provides funding for the scheme, it is administered by the local authorities which have responsibility for selecting and prioritising roads. It is absolutely clear to me, locally and as Minister, that there is strong demand for the scheme. However, progress has been made, with more than 5,500 road improvements being completed under the scheme to date. Significant numbers apply for support, which is why base funding for the LIS has increased year on year since 2021.

The programme for Government commits to supporting rural communities, including a commitment to increase funding under the scheme. I am working with the Minister for public expenditure, Deputy Chambers, to ensure we have funding in place not only to continue the scheme but also to address the backlog that Deputy Collins has referred to. We are engaging with the ongoing review of the national development plan, and within the Department I am monitoring capital expenditure as the year progresses to ensure any savings arising under our capital budget and in other schemes can be reassigned to the LIS. I absolutely know and understand its value. I appreciate its value. It is very important to local families and local people. It will certainly be a priority scheme for me during my time in the Department.

Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)
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I thank the Minister very much. It is a very important scheme. It is a great scheme for anyone who qualifies. The problem, as I have said, is that 4,000 applications remain outstanding and have not qualified. For all the funds that have gone into it, they are not half enough of what needs to go into it. I have spoken to Deputy Danny Healy-Rae on this issue several times. It is a big issue in his area. It is also a big issue in west Cork. The problem is that the moneys coming into west Cork are not enough to go anywhere near what needs to be done. I know of people who have been waiting for seven or eight years. A politician said to me one time that it is not a form that should be filled out because people get very annoyed and frustrated at having to wait seven or eight years to get funding for the roadway to be done. When people fill in the form they expect that it could be done within a year or two, a reasonable amount of time. While the system is successful when people get it, they can be a long time waiting. Some people who fill in the form pass away before they even get to see the roadway being done.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Collins. I would point out that since 2017 Cork county has received €12.9 million for the LIS. It is the third highest amount nationally. It is not the Department's role to select individual roads. That is a matter for each local authority. We are looking at local authorities on the waiting list and the individual expenditure by local authorities on the scheme. I want to make sure that we are getting value for the money we are investing in it and that we are getting consistency from local authority to local authority.

Certainly, I will be looking for additional resources. I am already engaging with the Minister, Deputy Chambers, about the national development plan, NDP, review and budget 2026 on that matter. We have also expanded the eligibility of the scheme in recent years so that is definitely adding to demand for it. That expansion was needed and was important for supporting local families. I assure the Deputy that Deputy Danny Healy-Rae and the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, are working closely with me to secure additional funding for this.

Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)
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I appreciate that and thank the Minister. We desperately need that extra funding in some areas. The Minister said that County Cork receives the third highest amount of funding. He will be aware that Cork is the biggest county in Ireland, so we are way down the ladder if that is the case. I am not trying to be critical. The Minister is doing his best to get additional funding and we appreciate that, because there is a desperate need. People should not be waiting six or seven years.

I filled in forms for a gentleman in 2017. We have spent the time since then on the phone trying to make sure it gets across the line, perhaps once an month. Ellen in my office never gave up on it. It was only last week that he was told that his road will go ahead in a month's time, which is great and it is a success. However, there is frustration. I find that people are annoyed with the political system. When I knock on the door or talk to them, people say "you never got that road done for me". That is not the way it works. There is not enough funding going into County Cork, unfortunately, and the roads are not being done. We see that there are 4,000 to be done nationally so there is a massive amount of money to be got here for the local improvement scheme.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I have figures that show that at the end of 2024, 175 roads in Cork were awaiting repair, 264 have been completed since 2017 and 23 will be done in 2025. The full allocation will be used. That gives the Deputy a sense of the demand in Cork, but it is replicated across the country. LIS roads are very much part of my daily work. The scheme is very important to communities. That is why the eligibility was expanded in recent years, but in expanding it, demand increased. I assure the Deputy that I am working to secure additional funding for the 2026-27 programme to support local authority members who are at the coalface of this and local families and communities.