John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 455: To ask the Minister for Transport if he will meet with a delegation (details supplied) in County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11690/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

In September, 2004 the Government confirmed the Office of Public Works (OPW) as the State's lead agency in flooding, to be tasked with delivering an integrated, multifaceted programme aimed at mitigating future flood risk and impact.

As regards flooding of roads, the improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is a matter for the relevant local authority, to be funded from its own resources supplemented by State grants. The initial selection of works to be funded from these grants is also a matter for the local authority. Funding of national roads is a matter for the National Roads Authority.

When road grants for regional and local roads are allocated each year, my Department does not hold back a reserve allocation at central level to deal with weather contingencies. 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 allocation made to local authorities is inclusive of the weather risk factor. Local authorities are expressly advised that they should set aside contingency sums from their overall regional and local roads resources to finance necessary weather related works.

In 2008, grants totalling €30.092 million were allocated to Mayo County Council for works on regional and local roads. This included a Discretionary Maintenance grant of €1.952 million and a Discretionary Improvement grant of €1.651 million which are available at the discretion of Mayo County Council to fund contingency works arising from weather conditions.

My Department would also be prepared to consider sympathetically any request from Mayo County Council to adjust its multi-annual Restoration Programmes in order to prioritise work necessitated by severe weather conditions. In 2008, Mayo County Council was allocated a Restoration Improvement grant of €13.152 million and a Restoration Maintenance grant of €5.614 million.

In light of the position as outlined above, I have no proposal to meet with such a delegation.