Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I have received a number of representations following the recent flooding.

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 road grants paid by my Department. 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 made to them at the beginning of each year.

The allocations made to local authorities are inclusive of a 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. That stipulation is contained clearly in the circular letter which is sent to each local authority with the yearly road grant allocations.

In 2009, grants totalling €447.477 million were allocated to local authorities for works on regional and local roads. This allocation included a Discretionary Maintenance grant of €29.560 million and a Discretionary Improvement grant of €12.500 million. These monies are available, at the discretion of county councils, to fund contingency works arising from weather conditions.

My Department would also be prepared to consider, sympathetically, any request from local authorities to adjust their multi-annual restoration programmes or revise their specific grant applications in order to prioritise work necessitated by severe weather conditions. In 2009, local authorities have been allocated a total of €144.951 million in Restoration Improvement grants and €85.000 million in Restoration Maintenance grants.

Local authorities are still assessing the extent of flood damage in their regions. Because these assessments cannot be completed until the flooding subsides, I expect that it will take some time before all the authorities concerned can quantify the damage sustained to their regional and local road networks and cost the repairs.

The Deputy will appreciate that I cannot, at this time, indicate what funding might be either needed or available to address damage caused to the regional and local road network by recent flooding. My officials are keeping in contact with local authorities affected by flooding. The current difficulties being faced by those authorities are being monitored and will be taken into account in the 2010 regional and local road grant allocations, to the extent that resources will allow.