Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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260. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his proposals to provide additional grant aid to Cavan County Council for its non-national roadworks programme for 2014 in view of the recent deterioration in road conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6080/14]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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261. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his proposals to provide additional grant aid to Monaghan County Council for its non-national roadworks programme for 2014 in view of the recent deterioration in road conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6081/14]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 260 and 261 together.

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 these roads are funded from local authorities' own resources and are supplemented by State road grants.  However, the initial selection and prioritisation of projects to be funded is also a matter for the local authority. Last month  I announced that a total of €331.9 million is being provided to local authorities for the maintenance and improvement of regional and local roads in 2014.  To provide increased expenditure flexibility to local authorities the Discretionary Grant and the Winter Maintenance Grant schemes have been combined as a single Discretionary Grant and this may be used for repairs of damage to roads during severe weather, maintenance and strengthening type works.

It is also particularly important that local authorities do not reduce expenditure from their own resources in respect of roads this year in view of the current difficult situation and that they carefully reassess their planned road programmes for 2014 in the light of the impact of the recent storms on their road networks. Local authorities have been asked to prepare a full assessment of the work that needs to be done following the recent storms, together with detailed cost estimates. This is being co-ordinated by the Department of the Environment.  The detailed assessment and the action required will then be considered by Government.