Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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235. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide funding for the upkeep of class three roads in counties Sligo and Leitrim; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28491/13]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from local authorities own resources supplemented by State road grants.

I announced €350 million in regional and local road grants in January this year.  More recently, I announced an additional €50 million for regional and local roads under the Government’s Infrastructure Investment Plan, bringing the total funding available for regional and local roads in 2013 to just over €400 million.

As you know the initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded from State grants is a matter for the Council.  It is open to local authorities to fund works on Class 3 roads from their Discretionary Grant.  County Councils have also been offered more flexibility in their regional and local road grants whereby they have the opportunity to use up to 30% of their Restoration Improvement Grant and reallocate it to their Discretionary Grant should they wish to do so. 

Included in this overall allocation to local authorities is funding of over €8.2 million in 2013 allocated towards the Community Involvement Scheme for works on lesser trafficked local roads.  It is also important to re-iterate that the role of Exchequer grants for regional and local roads is to supplement Councils like Sligo and Leitrim County Councils in their spending in this area.