Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 880: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his Department will make available a special fund or budget for school road safety for the provision of road markings, barriers, set down areas, flashing lights, adult wardens, traffic calming, ramps and so on in front of all schools for the safety of children especially in primary schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10522/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Improvements to non-national roads, including the provision of traffic calming and other measures on such roads near schools, are matters for the relevant local authority to be funded from its own resources supplemented by grants from my Department.

The low-cost safety improvement works scheme of grants for non-national roads was introduced by my Department in 2000 as an extension of the scheme operated on national roads under the auspices of the National Roads Authority, NRA. The NRA assesses applications for grant assistance under the non-national roads scheme on behalf of the Department. The criteria for grant approval are based on accident data, inspection of sites, locations showing demonstrable hazard and discussions between the local authority and the NRA. Applications were invited from local authorities in 2005 for consideration for grant assistance in 2006 under this scheme. In 2006, the Department has allocated over €3.5 million to local authorities in respect of low-cost safety improvement works on non-national roads.

Local authorities may also use discretionary improvement and block grants, which are allocated to county councils and urban authorities respectively, to fund such works. In 2006, discretionary improvement and block grant allocations to local authorities total almost €40 million. The prioritisation of works to be funded from these grants is a matter for each local authority.

The appointment of school wardens is a matter for local authorities under the Road Traffic Acts 1961 to 2004.