Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 63: To ask the Minister for Transport if he will report on the recent allocation of €618 million for the regional and local roads programme 2008; the annual level of funding for the regional and local roads programme by year since 1997 to date in 2008; if he has written to all local authorities to ask them to increase their current level of funding for road maintenance and enhancement in their local authority area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9607/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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State grants for regional and local roads paid to local authorities in each of the years 1997 to 2007, and the allocation for 2008, are set out in the following table:

The Memorandum on road grants, which defines the conditions governing the payment of grants to local authorities in respect of improvement and maintenance works on regional and local roads, advised local authorities that State grants for works on those roads are provided on the basis that they supplement realistic contributions from local authorities own resources; that it is imperative that local authorities continue to commit significant resources to these works; and that increased Exchequer support should not be used as a reason to reduce local authorities' own resources expenditure. Local authorities are regularly reminded of this requirement; most recently on 15 February 2008, when notifying local authorities of their 2008 grant allocations.