Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Question 662: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his policy on the improvement and maintenance of local and regional roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14089/12]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Question 663: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his policy on the national roads programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14090/12]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 662 and 663 together. As Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in relation to the national roads programme. The planning, design and implementation of individual road projects is a matter for the National Roads Authority (NRA) under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2007 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.

In relation to regional and local roads, 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. Works on such roads are a matter for the relevant local authority to be funded from its own resources supplemented by State road grants.

As outlined in the Infrastructure and Capital Framework 2012-2016, out of necessity capital expenditure on roads is being scaled back significantly over the period to 2016. A key challenge is, therefore, to protect the investment made to date in the road network. For this reason the bulk of available resources will be directed towards maintaining and restoring the existing national, regional and local network with some targeted improvement schemes.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Question 664: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his policy on increasing motorway tolls; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14091/12]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in relation to the national roads programme. The implementation of individual national road projects is a matter for the National Roads Authority (NRA) under the Roads Acts 1993-2007, in conjunction with the relevant local authorities concerned.

In particular, the statutory power to levy tolls on national roads, to make toll bye-laws and to enter into toll agreements with private investors in respect of national roads is vested in the NRA under Part V of the Roads Act 1993 (as amended by the Planning and Development Act 2000 and the Roads Act 2007). The maximum tolls for each toll year are set in accordance with the toll bye-laws made by the NRA under Section 61 of the Roads Act. Aside from the annual adjustments made in accordance with the bye-laws, there are currently no proposals to increase tolls on national roads.