Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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956. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has received a request to meet a deputation of the management and members of Kerry County Council to discuss the funding for local improvement scheme roads; if so, the date he received the request; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11372/15]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I have not received a request in 2015 to meet a deputation of the management and members of Kerry County Council to discuss the funding for the local improvement scheme roads.

On 3 March 2015, Kerry County Council forwarded correspondence on behalf of the members of the Municipal District of South and West Kerry concerning funding for local roads in that district. I have not received any further correspondence on the matter to date.

The purpose of the Local Improvement Scheme is to provide funding for roads and laneways that Councils have not taken in charge; that is, private roads and laneways.  However, the maintenance and improvement of these is, in the first instance, a matter for the relevant landowner.

At present, local authorities may use up to 15% of their initial Discretionary Grant towards the Local Improvement Scheme should they wish to do so. The local contribution for these schemes is 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.

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

Local authorities were notified of their allocations in Circular RW 2/2015.  Details of the 2015 regional and local road grant allocations to each council are available in the Dáil library.