Pippa Hackett (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Acting Chair. I thank the Senator for the question. I am here on behalf of the Minister for Transport.

As the Senator is aware, as outlined in the 2024 regional and local roads programme, the Government is strongly committed to protecting the existing road network. This network is fundamental to connecting people and places across the country. It facilitates business, education, tourism, healthcare, agriculture and the provision of critical services and activities. At this point, it is important to highlight that 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 by from the council's own resources and are supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also matter for the local authority. Ireland's regional and local road network spans over 96,000 km and, therefore, requires significant funding to ensure it remains fit for purpose, safe and resilient. As such, this year €650 million was allocated to regional and local roads.

On 31 May this year, the Department of Transport announced additional funding of €30 million for local authorities through restoration and improvement grants following persistent rainfall over the winter and spring. Of this, Cork was in receipt of over €86 million to fulfil the council's statutory responsibilities for maintaining regional and local roads. This €86 million is intended to supplement realistic contributions from the local authority's own resources. Due to the vast scale of the network, the Department of Transport 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 an equitable basis as possible to ensure that 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 road within a local authority's area, with additional weighting based on contributing traffic factors in specific areas.

This approach also means that while central Government is supplying significant funding, we acknowledge that local authorities are best placed to make determinations for their own areas for maximum delivery of results.Indeed, the initial selection and prioritisation of maintenance and renewal work is a matter for each local authority. There is flexibility within the State grant programmes for councils to direct resources to address specific problems as identified on their networks as they see fit in aspects such as safety. Any road improvement project proposed by local authorities for consideration under the specific grant programme are assisted by the Department on a case-by-case basis. All projects put forward by local authorities for consideration must comply with the requirements of the public spending code and the Department of transport's capital appraisal framework.

Given the limited funding available for regional and local road improvement works, it is important for local authorities to prioritise projects within their overall area of responsibility with these requirements in mind. Cork County Council has been allocated more than €3 million for six projects under the 2024 specific improvement grant programme, in line with the priorities identified by the council. Unfortunately, Pewterhole Cross is not one of the projects currently being funded.

In summary, the Department and the Minister recognise the importance of the 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. In the case of the specific improvement grant, the Department has allocated funding to schemes in line with the priorities identified by Cork County Council through its application process.