Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 553: To ask the Minister for Transport the implications for his Department, local authorities and the National Roads Authority of his decision to transfer funding allocation responsibility for local and regional roads into the National Roads Authority; the steps he is putting in place to ensure transparency for future funding allocations; the assurances he will give local road authorities that their responsibility for the local road network will remain intact; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30840/09]

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 568: To ask the Minister for Transport his policy with regard to the transferring of responsibility for the administration of non-national road grants from individual local authorities to the National Roads Authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31424/09]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 553 and 568 together.

The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads, including bridges, in its area, is a statutory function of each road authority in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act, 1993. Works on such roads are a matter for the relevant local authority to be funded from its own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of projects to be funded is also a matter for the local authority.

New arrangements for the management and administration of regional and local road grants were introduced on 1st September 2009. These arrangements were put in place on foot of the existing statutory framework which places responsibility for the improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads with local authorities. From 1st September, last, the National Roads Authority was tasked to undertake the management of the Regional and Local Roads Investment Programme on behalf of my Department. The National Roads Authority will recommend grant allocations for regional and local roads for 2010 and subsequent years, which will be subject to final approval by the Minister for Transport. The 2010 grant allocations will be announced early in the New Year.