Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 283: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will take steps in conjunction with Waterways Ireland to provide the necessary funding to enable the Green Bridge at Mullingar, County Westmeath to be replaced as same has been deemed by Waterways Ireland to be unsafe for any vehicle in excess of 3 tonnes and which has led to a weight restriction on the bridge; if, in this context, immediate steps will be taken to liaise with Westmeath County Council to provide a replacement of this important canal bridge in the centre of Mullingar which is extremely important in relation to the commercial life of the town centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10979/07]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The provision and improvement of non-national roads, including bridges, in County Westmeath is a matter for Westmeath County Council to be funded from its own resources supplemented by State grants provided by my Department.

In July last year, my Department sought applications from local authorities for funding under the 2007 Specific Improvements Grant Scheme. The initial selection of projects to be submitted for consideration for funding under this scheme is a matter for local authorities. Westmeath County Council submitted a number of applications but these did not include an application for works on the Green Bridge, Mullingar. My Department will again be seeking applications under the Specific Improvements Grant Scheme later this year and it will, of course, be open to the Council to submit applications for consideration for funding under this scheme in 2008.

Local authorities may also use their discretionary improvement grant allocations from my Department to fund eligible road and bridge improvement schemes. The 2007 discretionary improvement grant allocation to Westmeath County Council is €563,000, which is an increase of 13% on the corresponding 2006 grant payment to the Council. The selection of works to be funded from this allocation is entirely a matter for the local authority.