Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport for coming to the House. It is nice that a Cabinet Minister is present to reply to a Commencement matter and we appreciate that.

This matter relates to the local improvement scheme. I am not sure if the Minister was familiar with the scheme in his constituency but, in rural constituencies, the scheme was essential for providing small amounts in grant aid, up to a maximum of 90% of the overall cost, to individuals who resided on roads that are classified as accommodation roads. They are private roads but they accommodate road users, farm activity and rural recreation activity. The budget allocation for the scheme was small but the value for money was significant. A contribution was made by those who lived on the road and the council would come in and carry out the work. While I had questions previously about the value derived from the work in respect of who should carry it out, whether it be the council or whether it would be tendered, that is a separate issue.

The primary issue is that the scheme should be renewed in 2017, if possible. This would merely cost a few million euro in the context of the overall transport allocation to cover the entire country. If a pot of €20 million was made available next year, it would help. The scheme was discontinued in 2011 and, as a result, a large number of roads that would have been repaired under it have fallen into a severe state of disrepair and the individuals living on them do not have the resources to carry out the necessary maintenance or upgrading works. They require a scheme to assist them in maintaining the countryside.There are environmental benefits to the scheme, as well as benefits relating to transport. There are certainly benefits for people living in rural Ireland in particular. Will the Minister of State give serious consideration to reintroduce this scheme at an early date?