Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Question 574: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the criteria issued to local authorities in respect of the national sustainable transport initiatives under which local authorities made applications from this fund; if he will outline for each local authority the list of applications submitted and the list of projects for which funding was granted; the amount of funding in each case; when further funding will be available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32197/11]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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As part of the Government's Jobs Initiative an additional €20 million has been allocated to sustainable transport projects this year. €10 million was allocated by the NTA to projects in the Greater Dublin Area and in the regional cities. A further €10 million of this funding was allocated by my Department to counties outside the Greater Dublin Area. The scheme is intended to support a switch to sustainable and active travel through the delivery of infrastructure projects and to provide employment in doing so.

The funding, available in 2011 only, was used to support labour intensive projects which aimed to address one or more objectives identified in the Smarter Travel policy, especially where such projects would support delivery of the Government's tourism strategy, encourage modal shift away from the car, improve economic competitiveness through reducing traffic congestion, enhance the urban environment for both locals and visitors, and improve safety and accessibility to transport.

As this is a one-off funding stream which is strictly limited to the current year, projects were required to be capable of being completed and all funding drawn down by end November 2011 without any possibility of carry forward of expenditure into 2012. Another key criterion for projects selected under this initiative was that the prospective employment generation content of the projects submitted was identified.

Details of all the proposals submitted by local authorities over the three rounds identifying those which received funding will be forwarded to the Deputy shortly.