Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Gallagher for his Commencement matter. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister for Transport, who cannot be this morning because he is at Cabinet. I fully agree with the Senator's sentiments that local, national and primary roads are so important in terms of the infrastructure for local communities.

As the Senator is aware and as is outlined in the national development plan, the Government is strongly committed to protecting the existing regional and local road network. This network is fundamental to connecting people and places across the country. It facilitates businesses, education, tourism, healthcare, agriculture and the provision of critical services and activities. The network requires significant annual funding to ensure it remains fit for purpose, safe and resilient to the impacts of climate change. As such, €626 million was allocated to regional and local roads in 2023, with approximately 90% of this funding being directed towards maintenance and renewal works.

The regional and local road grants support local authorities in fulfilling their statutory responsibilities under the Roads Act 1993 to improve and maintain their regional and local roads. The grants are provided to supplement local authorities' own resources, with each local authority responsible for selecting and prioritising road works within their region and for managing their own budgets. In this regard, in 2023, Cavan County Council received more than €18.1 million of State grant assistance while Monaghan County Council received just under €17.4 million. The allocation of grant funding is made on as fair and as equitable a basis as possible.

There are three main regional and local road grant programmes that account for most of the grant funding available to local authorities: first, a restoration maintenance grant which targets investments into pavement sealing works to protect the road surface from water damage; second, a restoration improvement grant which supports road strengthening works to lengthen the life of the road; and third, a discretionary grant which allows for a range of activities, including pothole repairs, edge strengthening, renewal of signs and lines, and winter maintenance. Funding for these grant types is allocated based on the length of the road network within a local authority's area of responsibility with some account taken of traffic. It is envisaged that grants will continue to be made available on this basis because it is the most equitable approach.

An array of other grants are also available to local authorities aimed at maintaining and renewing key elements of the overall regional and local road network, including safety and bridge programmes, drainage works, climate adaptation measures, community involvement projects and the maintenance of former national roads. Furthermore, there is a limited budget of €70 million in 2023 for investment in new roads or new improvement schemes. The Minister of Transport appreciates that, within the overall parameters set for the grant programmes, local authorities might need to target funding at particular problem areas. There is sufficient flexibility in the structure of the grant programme to allow for this. As Senator Gallagher will be familiar, each local authority must allocate its own resources to priority areas as needed.

To assist local authorities in managing their own road network, the Department has supported the development of a road asset management system called MapRoad.MapRoad allows local authorities to catalogue the road pavement condition of each road in their region. This information can then be used to prioritise, schedule, and manage maintenance and renewal works. In summary, Exchequer funding for regional and local roads is intended to supplement realistic contributions from local authorities’ own resources. As the statutory road authorities for their areas, each local authority must prioritise investment towards regional and local roads as needed. The Department of Transport has provided MapRoad to assist in this process.