Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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Question 1862: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if funding will be made available by his Department to prevent coastal erosion of a stretch of the R561 road the Inch, Annascaul, County Kerry, and the bridge known as the Trench Bridge, The Maharees, County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1902/07]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The improvement and maintenance of non-national roads in county Kerry is a matter for Kerry County Council to be funded from its own resources supplemented by State Grants provided by my Department. The initial selection and prioritisation of projects to be funded from these grants is a matter for the Council. In 2007, the initial non-national roads grant allocation to Kerry County Council is €22,281,800, which represents an increase of 8% on the initial 2006 allocation.

Over the period 2000-06 Kerry County Council has received grants of over €4.3 million from my Department for improvement works to the R561 under the Specific Improvements Grant scheme. In 2007 an allocation of €250,000 has been made to the Council under the scheme for improvement works on the R561 from Castlemaine to Annascaul — from Ardroe Cross to Redcliff.

In December 2006, Kerry County Council approached my Department seeking funding for works at the R561 between Inch and Annascaul. The council was informed that any application for funding for coastal protection works should be directed to the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. As regards road works, the Council was advised that my Department would be prepared to consider any proposal from the Council to adjust its 2007 specific grant proposals, originally submitted to my Department by the Council in September 2006, to include eligible works at this location. In the event, such a proposal was not submitted by the Council. Kerry County Council has not submitted an application to my Department in respect of works to the Trench Bridge.

Kerry County Council may also use the Discretionary Improvement grant provided by my Department to fund eligible improvement works on non-national roads and bridges. In 2007 a Discretionary Improvement grant allocation of €1,186,000 has been made to Kerry County Council. This is an increase of 3% on the 2006 allocation to the Council.