Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I once again thank Senator Conway for raising this important matter. I note the point he raises about the funding, and it is one I will take back to the Minister, Deputy Humphreys. She is aware of the importance of LIS funding to rural communities, which provides access not just to people’s homes and farms but also to outdoor amenities such as lakes, rivers or beaches. She remains fully committed to funding LIS into the future. As Senator Conway will be aware, there was no dedicated funding for the scheme for a number of years. This has contributed to a backlog of applications in several areas, including his own county of Clare.

However, since 2017, the Department of Rural and Community Development has allocated more than €120 million to the local authorities, specifically to repair eligible roads under the scheme. Work has already been completed on more than 4,000 roads, benefiting almost 20,000 landowners and residents. That shows the huge benefit of the scheme.

The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, is committed to addressing the backlog of roads awaiting repair and, year on year, has consistently increased investment in the scheme. In 2021 and 2022, the allocation to the scheme was doubled. In 2023, an additional €18 million in additional funding above the initial allocation was provided. The Minister will continue to monitor expenditure within her Department and LIS remains a priority for additional funding wherever possible. When the 2024 scheme is launched, the Minister will be urging each local authority to utilise the funding allocated to complete repair works as quickly as possible. This would enable authorities to upgrade more roads before year end should further funding become available.