Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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Question 264: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if emergency funding will be provided by his Department to replace the collapsed bridge at Ballinagare, Lixnaw, County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4471/07]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The maintenance and improvement of non-national roads and bridges 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 question of special funding to take account of emergency improvements to non-national roads is regularly raised. The standing approach in my Department is not to hold back a reserve allocation at central level to deal with such situations. Such an arrangement would mean a reduction across all local authorities in the road grant allocations to them at the beginning of each year. Instead, the non-national roads allocations made each year to local authorities are inclusive of such risk factors. In determining the annual allocations, the overall objective is to resource each local authority appropriately in relation to their ongoing and special needs.

On 18 January 2007, I announced the 2007 grant allocation for non-national roads, which at over €607.5 million is the highest ever, and represents an increase of 9%, or almost €50 million, on the 2006 allocation. The total 2007 initial allocation to Kerry County Council is €22,281,800, which represents an increase of 8% on its 2006 initial allocation. While there are no further funds at my disposal from which I could make a special grant allocation to Kerry County Council for the replacement of Ballinagare Bridge, it is open to the Council to fund eligible works at this location from its Discretionary Improvement Grant provided by my Department or from its own resources. In 2007, the Council has received of €1,186,000 for Discretionary Improvement works, an increase of 3% on its 2006 allocation. The selection of works to be funded from this allocation is entirely a matter for Kerry County Council.

My Department will be seeking applications under the Specific Improvements Grant scheme later this year and it will also be open to Kerry County Council to submit an application to replace the bridge for consideration for funding in 2008 under the scheme.

I understand that the matter is currently the subject of court proceedings and accordingly any further comment in relation to the circumstances surrounding the collapse of the bridge would be inappropriate.