Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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471. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has received a request for emergency funding from Cork County Council to carry out necessary and vital repairs to the numerous roads and bridges damaged and washed away by over 100 mm of torrential rain on 11 September 2015 in west Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35764/15]

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 selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is, therefore, a matter for the local authority. I am aware that Cork County Council wrote to my Department on 21st September concerning the cost implications of the recent flooding.  My Department will examine this request to see what flexibilities there might be within the grant programme but the funding available to me for 2015 has already been allocated.

My Department has emphasised to Councils that the commitment of local authorities to contribute significantly from their own resources towards the cost of improving and maintaining the regional and local roads network is essential and that full consideration needs to be given to utilising the Local Property Tax to boost own resources expenditure on regional and local road maintenance and renewal.