Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 518: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the amount allocated by his Department to improving road signage in 2006; the moneys drawn down to date for this purpose; the routeways benefiting from such an allocation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19190/06]

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 519: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the amount which has been allocated and drawn down under the regional road signage programme each year from 2003 to date in 2006; the counties and road routes which have benefited as a result of this programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19191/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 518 and 519 together.

Local authorities are responsible for the provision of road traffic signs on non-national roads. However, in line with a commitment in the Programme for Government to put in place a new 5 year plan to ensure that non-national roads are properly signposted, my Department introduced a new Regional Roads Signposting Programme for non-national roads in 2003. It is proposed that directional signs on all regional roads throughout the country will be upgraded under the programme. Progress under the scheme and the sequencing of such signposting is a matter for the relevant local authority.

In 2003, an initial allocation of €5.1 million was provided under the programme and a total sum of €798,378 was drawn down by Clare, Cork, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Sligo and Wexford County Councils. In 2004, an initial allocation of €5 million was provided under the programme and a total sum of €1,391,754 was drawn down by Clare, Cork, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Leitrim, Limerick, Mayo, Sligo, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow County Councils. In 2005, an initial allocation of €5 million was provided under the programme and a total sum of €577,668 was drawn down by Clare, Cork, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Leitrim, Limerick, Mayo, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow County Councils. Funding not drawn down under the programme was re-allocated to other non-national road projects in each of the years 2003 to 2005. In 2006, an initial allocation of €6.64 million has been provided under the programme to 27 county councils, of which a sum of €68,235 has been drawn down to date.