Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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921. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the status of funding for the maintenance and upkeep of Local Improvement Scheme roads subsequent to major restoration under the grant and contribution scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46671/15]

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 initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the local authority. The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) provides funding for road and laneways that councils have not taken in charge. That is, private roads and laneways, the maintenance and improvement of these roads is, in the first instance, a matter for the relevant landowner. The LIS for local roads remains in place but my Department does not provide a separate grant allocation towards this scheme. Instead local authorities may use a proportion of State grant funding for LIS should they wish to do so.

There are no plans at present to revise the current arrangement. I take the view that local authorities are best placed to assess whether funding should be allocated to LIS or to public roads.