Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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261. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if specific funding will be provided to Monaghan County Council in respect of the urgent need to upgrade the R190 Ballybay to Cootehill road, as there is serious concern locally about consistent flooding on particular stretches of the road which is a danger to motorists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38907/15]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads (such as the R190) is the statutory responsibility of Monaghan County Council, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from the Council's 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.

While in the past it was possible to seek grant funding for road improvements under a Specific Grant Scheme, given the challenging financial climate, this grants scheme was curtailed from 2014 in order to maximise the funding available for repair and strengthening work on the existing road network.  In this context, it is important to reiterate that the purpose of Exchequer funding is to supplement local authorities' own resources.  In this context €7.2 million in grant funding was provided to Monaghan County Council at the start of the year and an additional €629,000 was provided in July.  There is sufficient flexibility within the grant programme for local authorities to focus expenditure on drainage works if they wish to do so.

I have also been emphasising to local authorities the importance of prioritising expenditure on roads when allocating own resources, including revenue from Local Property Tax receipts.