Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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657. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding the local improvement scheme grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6444/14]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Local Improvements Scheme has not been discontinued, instead the scheme has been improved in 2014.

This Scheme provides funding for road and laneways that councils have not taken in charge.  However, the maintenance and improvement of these roads is, in the first instance, a matter for the relevant landowner. As indicated to all local authorities on 24 January 2014, the Local Improvement Scheme was reinstated but with no separate allocation for this grant category.  Instead, local authorities may use up to 15% (up from 7% in 2013) of their initial Discretionary Grant towards local improvement schemes should they wish to do so.  The local contribution for these schemes remains at 20% of the total cost of the project and the same eligibility rules apply for these schemes. 

Details of the 2014 regional and local roads grants were communicated to local authorities on 24 January and I note that Kerry County Council was allocated a Discretionary Grant of €3,264,800. This means that Kerry County Council can allocate up to €489,720 of this grant heading to the local improvement scheme if it so wishes. Furthermore, it is open to local authorities to supplement the percentage of their Discretionary Grant that they can use for the local improvement schemes with their own resources. Some local authorities want the LIS. Others perefer to put the money into public roads. I think this decision is best made locally by the councillors themselves.