Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 354: To ask the Minister for Transport if additional funding will be made available to counties Cavan and Monaghan to help cover the cost that each of the councils incurred in keeping the roads clear and additionally to cover the damage which has been done to the road surfaces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3559/10]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is a statutory function of each road authority in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. The carrying out of works on these roads is 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.

When Exchequer 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. Holding back such an allocation would mean a reduction in the road grant allocations made to all local authorities at the beginning of each year.

The allocations made to local authorities are inclusive of a weather risk factor. Local authorities are expressly advised in the annual road grants circular letter that they should set aside contingency sums from their overall regional and local roads resources to finance necessary weather related works.

The amount of money provided in the 2010 Estimates for funding regional and local roads is €411.177 million and this year's allocation will be based on that amount.

I have, however, asked local authorities to provide details of exceptional road related costs associated with the recent flooding and prolonged severe weather, which fall outside the normal financial provision for winter maintenance.

I will announce the 2010 regional and local road grant allocations by mid February 2010 at the latest.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 355: To ask the Minister for Transport the amount of moneys allocated to each county and the average amount per kilometre for the maintenance of non national roads in 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3561/10]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads, 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.

Regional and Local road grants are allocated under a number of grant categories. The only grant categories which are calculated by reference to length of road are the discretionary improvement, discretionary maintenance and restoration maintenance categories.

Details of the total 2009 grant allocations are set out in Table 1 and details of the 3 categories where grants are calculated per kilometer to each county council are set out in Table 2. Table 1

Table 2