Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. As his is a neighbouring constituency, he will understand where I am coming from on this matter. For the information of the House, the local improvement scheme, LIS, is where the State, through the councils, provides a certain amount of money to upgrade our roads. Local households also contribute. This usually involves a cluster of houses and farm entrances where, in many cases, people are elderly and there are young children and people with disabilities. In County Clare where I live, 146 applications have been approved for funding but are awaiting funding under the LIS. Many such applications have now been waiting for many years. During that period, the quality of the roads has continued to deteriorate. On some of the roads, there are potholes you could nearly fit into, if you climbed into them. People are constantly filling them to try to do immediate repairs until such time as the LIS funding comes through and the road is done on a professional basis by the council.

In 2020, Clare County Council received an allocation of €826,000, which completed 20 roads. In 2021, it got an allocation of €1.229 million, which completed 25 roads, and in 2023 it got an allocation of €1.368 million, which completed 22 roads. If all of the roads were to be funded and completed, we would be looking at a cost of €9 million. A figure of €1.36 million is a long way from €9 million. These roads continue to deteriorate. In the past three years in my constituency, 65 roads have been done, with 146 on the approved list, and the council is awaiting additional information on a further 20. What is even more concerning is these roads are all concentrated in the west Clare municipal district, which extends from Ballyvaughan to Loop Head and Kilrush. In that particular area of County Clare, right along the Wild Atlantic Way and the N67 stretch, probably well over 100 roads service some 1,000 individuals, and certainly hundreds of homes. Those roads are in an appalling state and people's cars are being destroyed and damaged on a regular basis. In one scenario brought to my attention recently, a car was written off. People could potentially be hurt when they are out for a walk. It is not acceptable.

The allocation for 2024 needs to be announced straightaway and there needs to be an additional, once-off, significant increase in funding. I am sure the constituency of the Acting Chair and other constituencies are in the same situation, but it is particularly bad in Clare because of the weather conditions, proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and so on. We need a plan that includes a lot more than €1.36 million. I am looking for €4 million or €4.5 million over a two-year period so that Clare County Council can clear the waiting list and people can get the roads they deserve as citizens and taxpayers.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Humphreys. I thank my local colleague, Senator Conway from County Clare, for raising this important matter.

The LIS, which we all know as the local road improvement scheme, is a programme for improvement works on small private or non-public roads in rural areas that are not normally maintained by local authorities but which represent a vital piece of infrastructure for rural residents. The scheme is funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and is administered through the local authorities. The Minister has asked me to assure the Senator that she understands just how important the scheme is for the people of Clare, for rural areas, and for farm families in particular. There is no other source of funding for these roads, which provide vital access to agricultural lands and rural homes. The Senator referenced the region where he lives in Clare.

The scheme is also used to fund non-public roads leading to important community amenities, such as graveyards, beaches, piers, mountain access points or other tourist heritage sites. As part of Our Rural Future, the national rural development policy, the Government has committed to increasing the level of investment in the repair of non-public roads through the LIS. Despite the progress that has been made, a significant backlog of roads awaiting repair remains. The Senator clearly indicated that in his county, 146 applications have been approved and another 20 are being considered. That is a total of 166. Is that figure correct?

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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Yes.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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Given the value of the scheme for people living in rural areas, the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, was pleased to be in a position to increase the allocation for the LIS in 2023 alone to almost €30 million. This is a record investment that signifies her commitment to the scheme. More than €120 million has been invested in the LIS since 2017. The figure I have for the allocation to Clare in 2023 is €1.33 million.That was used on 22 schemes. The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, will announce the 2024 allocations shortly. Her Department officials work closely with local authorities to ensure funds are utilised fully to ensure as many roads as possible are completed each year. The selection of roads to be funded under the scheme is a matter for each local authority based on the priority or condition of particular LIS roads in their county.

In recent years, when savings were identified in the Department of Rural and Community Development, the Minister announced a further round of funding later in the year. Officials in the Department are currently finalising the terms of the 2024 local improvement scheme and an announcement will be made imminently, with every effort being made to address the backlog of roads awaiting repair under the scheme. That currently stands at more than 3,400 roads nationally. Senator Conway's big concern is the people of County Clare, where there are 166 schemes outstanding at the moment. The Minister also confirmed that numerous contacts have been made with our colleague, the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan, in an effort to implement a co-funded scheme, which would go a long way to addressing the backlog.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply and his understanding of the importance of the scheme. I wish the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, all the best in her engagement with the Minister, Deputy Ryan, because that is what should happen. There needs to be a once-off block grant to each of the local authorities participating in the scheme. It is not every local authority in the country. It is only a certain number in rural areas. Even in County Clare, it is really north and west Clare from Ballyvaughan to Loop Head and Kilrush. The majority of the 166 schemes are in that general area. Particular pockets of the country are affected, but they are badly affected. It is only fair and right that there be a multi-, or at least dual, departmental approach between the Ministers, Deputies Ryan and Humphreys, to come up with once-off funding to clear the backlog to give these people, some of whom are getting old and some of whom have young children, some comfort in their daily lives.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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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.