Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 474: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the amount allocated in CLÁR areas for the provision of flashing amber safety lights outside of schools each year to date, since the introduction of this scheme; the reason this scheme is not available nationwide; his views on extending the scheme to all areas of the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27485/06]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The CLÁR Programme, which was launched in October 2001, is a targeted investment programme for rural areas. In April this year, I extended the areas covered by the Programme and as a result, it now covers over 726,700 people in 23 counties.

Under the CLÁR Non-National Roads Measure, which was co-funded with the Department of the Environment, Heritage & Local Government, local authorities had the option to install flashing amber safety lights at primary schools within the original CLÁR areas. In this context, CLÁR funding in the amount of €310,850 was approved for 17 local authorities in respect of 73 sets of lights, between 2002 and 2004.

In 2005, I introduced a fully funded Flashing Amber Safety Lights measure for schools under CLÁR and all proposals received from the local authorities in the original CLÁR areas were approved at a total cost of just over €1.7m for 242 schools. Any residual projects in the original areas, which may have been inadvertently omitted by the local authorities in the first round, can continue to be submitted.

Further to this, in May 2006 I announced that funding of €3m for 2006/2007 is being made available for the provision of Flashing Amber Safety Lights at all primary schools in the extended CLÁR areas that do not already have them.

This measure is fully funded under the CLÁR programme and all the relevant local authorities have been asked to submit proposals for 2006. In this regard, my Department is currently examining proposals received and announcements will be made in due course. As this is a CLÁR Scheme it is confined to CLÁR areas.