Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 283: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his Department has received an application form Carlow County Council to undertake improvement works at Ballylennon Cross, Palatine Road, Carlow, which is a known accident blackspot; and when he expects a decision on same. [1164/07]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The maintenance and improvement of non-national roads in County Carlow is a matter for Carlow County Council to be funded from its own resources supplemented by State grants provided by 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 my 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. In 2007, my Department allocated over €7.8 million to local authorities in respect of Low Cost Safety Improvement Works on non-national roads which is more than double the 2006 allocation.

Carlow County Council submitted ten applications to my Department for consideration for funding under this scheme in 2007. Among their submission was an application for funding for works at Ballylennon Cross, which was number 10 in the Council's priority list. Nine of the applications submitted by the Council received grants totalling €140,500 in 2007 but, in view of the Council's priority list, these did not include Ballylennon Cross.

It is open to the Council to fund eligible works at this location from its Discretionary Improvement Grant allocation provided by my Department. In 2007, the Council received an allocation of €324,000 for Discretionary Improvement works.