Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 278: To ask the Minister for Transport if he will designate and identify the R352 road from Tulla, County Clare to Whitegate, County Clare to be a strategic route as it is the main arterial route through east Clare which provides access to Lough Derg; if he will allocate funding to upgrade the remaining section of the R352; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26361/07]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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In accordance with Section 10 of the Roads Act 1993, public roads may be classified as national roads, regional roads or local roads. There is no statutory classification of strategic road or route. The improvement and maintenance of regional roads in its area is a statutory function of each road authority to be funded from its own resources supplemented by State road grants. My Department provides grants to local authorities under a number of grant categories to assist them in discharging their functions in relation to the improvement and maintenance of non-national roads. In 2007, total grants for non-national roads allocated to Clare County Council were €22,144,959. This included a specific grant of €1 million for works on the R352 between Ennis and Portumna.

In August this year, local authorities were invited to submit applications for consideration for funding in 2008 under the Specific Improvements Grant Scheme. The initial selection of projects to be submitted for consideration for funding under this scheme is solely a matter for local authorities. The only proposal submitted by Clare County Council in relation to the R352 relates to works between Ennis and Portumna. The 2008 non-national road grant allocations to local authorities will be announced early next year.

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 279: To ask the Minister for Transport the allocation per kilometre for each local authority for non-national roads for each of the past five years. [26379/07]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The total grant allocated to each local authority in each of the years 2003 to 2007 for non-national roads is set out in Table 1.

The only grant categories which are calculated by reference to length of road are the discretionary improvement and maintenance and restoration maintenance categories. The grants allocated per kilometre to each county council under these categories are set out in Table 2 below. Separate grants are allocated to urban authorities, none of which is calculated by reference to length of roads in their areas.