Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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1093. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding an application (details supplied) for funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41626/14]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, 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.  The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the local authority.  

Meath County Council submitted a Specific Grant application for a Laytown to Bettystown Link Road in 2013.  However, the economic reality of recent years has meant significant reductions in roads budgets across the board and this has resulted in some grant programmes being curtailed, including the Specific and Strategic Grant Programmes, in order to protect funding for road maintenance and repair.  I am not, therefore, in a position to make grant funding available for this project at present.

It is important to re-iterate that the role of Exchequer grants for regional and local roads is to supplement local authorities in their spending in this area and it is open to the Meath County Council to fund this project from its own resources.