Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 217: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if, when he provides funding to local authorities for the construction, repair and so on of rural roadworks, all local authorities comply with his Department's DOE Guidelines on Surface Dressing 1981; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8096/07]

Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 218: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the mechanisms in place to ensure compliance with his Department's DOE Guidelines on Surface Dressing 1981 when he provides funding to local authorities for the construction, repair and so on of rural roadworks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8097/07]

Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 219: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if, when he provides funding to local authorities for the construction repair and so on of rural roadworks, it is a condition of funding that the local authority complies with his Department's DOE Guidelines on Surface Dressing 1981; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8098/07]

Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 220: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if, in view of the fact that his Department's DOE surface dressing guidelines were issued by his Department as far back as 1982, he will assure this Deputy that these guidelines remain adequate, bearing in mind the increased traffic volumes on roads here and taking into account the advances in road construction methods; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8099/07]

Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 221: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the instances, when he provides funding to local authorities for the construction, repair and so on of rural roadworks, where funding has been revoked or suspended from a local authority due to failure to comply with his Department's DOE Guidelines on Surface Dressing 1981; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8100/07]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 217 to 221, inclusive, together.

The improvement and maintenance of non-national roads in its area is a statutory function of each road authority in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act, 1993. A number of guidance documents have, however, issued to local authorities to assist them in carrying out their statutory functions, including my Department's document Surface Dressing, which was published in 1981 and applied up to 2005. Guidance in relation to surface dressing in Ireland generally was comprehensively reviewed by the National Roads Authority and my Department over the period 2003 to 2004, following which the Institute of Asphalt Technology Guidelines for Surface Dressing in Ireland were endorsed as suitable for surface dressing purposes.

Local authorities have been informed, in my Department's Memorandum on Grants for Non-national Roads, 2001, that grants for non-national roads are subject to the satisfactory implementation of quality control procedures to ensure that materials and products used in the works are in accordance with the relevant standards and specifications. In accordance with their statutory functions, it is a matter for each individual local authority to ensure that it complies with such standards and specifications.

My Department has not revoked or suspended grant assistance in respect of non-national roads from any local authority as a result of non-compliance with my Department's guidance document Surface Dressing or the Institute of Asphalt Technology guidelines.

My Department has no function in relation to national roads, which are the responsibility of the relevant local authority and the National Roads Authority operating under the aegis of my colleague the Minister for Transport.