James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 726: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will urgently reinstate the LIS, for the benefit of farmers and residents living in remote rural areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15461/12]

Leo 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. Cuts 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. Given that priority it is not possible to assist with any works on non-public roads, and the decision was taken to suspend this scheme in respect of 2012.

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. If and when the financial position of the State improves, I will examine the possibility of re-opening this scheme. In the interim, 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.

Any new scheme would have to take account of the large number of non-public residential roads and management company estates in urban areas which did not avail of the LIS in the past, and have to pay for the repair and upkeep of their roads through management company fees and one-off levies, etc. In addition, the level of contribution from the local landowners towards such projects in any new scheme may need to be increased.