Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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255. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will reinstate a budget and make it available to Kerry County Council to restart a programme to deal with local improvement scheme applications of which there are 140 on a priority list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48634/14]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The Local Improvement Scheme remains in place and it provides funding for roads and laneways that Councils have not taken in charge. However, the maintenance and improvement of these is, in the first instance, a matter for the relevant landowner. There is no separate allocation for the LIS. 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. Furthermore, it is open to local authorities to supplement the percentage of their Discretionary Grant that they can use for the LIS with their own resources. This position is likely to extend into 2015.

Some local authorities want a ring-fenced LIS allocation for private roads while others prefer to put the funding into public roads. I think this decision is best made at a local level.