Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Lombard for the question. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this important topic with Members. I understand the Senator's question relates to the current system of funding allocations for the protection and renewal of the national and regional local road network, with a particular emphasis on the Cork region.

As he will be aware, and as outlined in the 2024 regional and local roads programme, the Government is strongly committed to protecting the existing road network. This network is fundamentally about connecting people and places across the country. It facilitates business, education, tourism, healthcare, agriculture and the provision of critical services and activities.Its protection is vital for road safety.

At this point, it is important to highlight that the construction and operation of national roads is a matter for TII in conjunction with the relevant local authorities. Funding for national roads is allocated in line with the national development plan. On the other hand, the improvement and maintenance of the regional and local road network is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in accordance with the Roads Act 1993. Works on these roads are funded from a council's own resources and are supplemented by State road grants.

Ireland's road network spans over 102,000 km and thus requires significant funding to ensure it remains fit for purpose, safe and resilient. As such, this year €444 million was allocated for national roads projects, while an additional €658 million was allocated for regional and local roads. Of this funding, Cork county is in receipt of €56 million for national roads, as well as over €83 million to fulfil the council's statutory responsibilities in maintaining local and regional roads. This €83 million is intended to supplement realistic contributions from the local authorities' own resources.

Due to the vast scale of the network, my Department employs an array of grant types to target investment across the regional and local network. Within the budget available, State grant funding is allocated on as fair and equitable a basis as possible to ensure all local authorities are in receipt of funds to maintain their networks. The allocation of the three biggest Exchequer grant types for regional and local roads is based on the length of the roads within a local authority's area, with additional weighting based on contributing traffic factors in specific areas. The rationale for this approach is that it is objective, avoids onerous administrative and monitoring burdens and, critically, avoids any perverse incentives that might arise if another basis were used. For example, providing higher levels of Exchequer funding where road quality is lower could create a disincentive for local authorities to devote own-resource funding towards achieving a high-quality network. As mentioned, each local authority is legally responsible for ensuring its network is maintained and improved.

This approach also means that, while central government is supplying significant funding, we are acknowledging that local authorities themselves are best placed to make determinations in their own areas for the maximum delivery of results. Indeed, the initial selection and prioritisation of maintenance and renewal works is a matter for each local authority. There is flexibility within the State grant programme for councils to direct resources to address particular problems identified on their networks as they see fit.

In summary, my Department recognises the importance of funding provided to local authorities for the renewal and protection of the road network. This funding helps to maintain a functioning, safe, interconnected network that facilitates thousands of people in their day-to-day activities. As such, in 2024 my Department committed over €1.1 billion to support our national, regional and local road networks. The allocation of this funding to individual local authorities is made in as fair and equitable a manner as possible.