Written answers

Thursday, 26 January 2012

Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport

Road Network

5:00 pm

Photo of Éamon Ó CuívÉamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 234: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if money will be provided under the LIS scheme for non-public roads this year, due to the fact that applications were received by local authorities before the scheme was suspended; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4532/12]

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The current expenditure for regional and local roads will be reduced significantly over the next few years in light of the current difficult economic climate. Reductions of the magnitude proposed necessitated that some very good and worthwhile projects be curtailed. In making adjustments to the regional and local roads budget the primary aim has been, as far as is possible, to protect previous investment in the road network and use the available funding to maintain and restore public roads, including those in rural areas.

To that end, it was necessary to discontinue grants under the Local Improvements Scheme achieving a saving of €5 million. While the importance of this scheme to rural communities and in assisting local development projects on non-public accommodation roads is acknowledged, the maintenance and improvement of these roads is, in the first instance a matter for the relevant landowner.

Given that the priority in using scarce resources in the current difficult economic climate is to maintain public roads it is not possible to assist with any works on non-public roads and therefore this scheme has been suspended. It should be noted that it is open to local authorities to continue to operate the scheme or a similar scheme from their own resources and I am sure they will do if they consider it to be a good use of limited resources.

Photo of Brendan GriffinBrendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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Question 235: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the law regarding cases in which cow manure left on public roads is problematic for pedestrians, cyclists and even motorists in particularly bad scenarios; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4644/12]

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is a statutory function of each road authority within its area, 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 and may be supplemented by State road grants.

Section 13 (10) also outlines the responsibility of individuals to ensure, where cattle frequently cross public roads, that dung or urine does not build up so as to cause danger to road users or indeed damage the public road itself. This section also states that where a person does anything in contravention of this, a road authority may remove any defacement, repair any damage, remove any material, and may recover from such person, as a simple contract debt in any court of competent jurisdiction, any costs reasonably incurred by it.

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