Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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592. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to explain how he arrived at the figure of €106 million for repairing flood damaged roads to be allocated to local authorities; the claims submitted for road repair funding, by local authority; the amount of funding he will allocate to each local authority; and the funding required for the repair of flood damaged national roads. [4473/16]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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In the aftermath of the recent severe weather, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government took the lead in responding to the immediate needs of Local Authorities arising from the storms and flooding.  That Department also sought submissions from Local Authorities setting out both the estimated short-term costs and the costs related to damage to infrastructure, including transport.  The €106 million provision which I announced on 28 January to address the damage to transport infrastructure arising from the recent severe storms and flooding takes account of the preliminary returns from Local Authorities and  other transport agencies.

My Department has now contacted local authorities and asked them to submit details of the work required in two tranches - the first within a week to facilitate early assessment and release of funding and the second when full details of additional works are available, for example, when bridges have been fully assessed.

Local authorities have been advised that, in the first instance, priority will be given to works involving the repair of roads and bridges and drainage.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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593. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the funding he has allocated as grants for regional and local roads to each local authority will be adequate to keep roads in a steady-state condition of maintenance; how much more fixed capital investment is required to keep roads in this steady-state condition, by local authority or in lieu of this nationally. [4474/16]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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​I refer the Deputy to my reply to PQ 45749/15 of 17 December 2015 where I outlined the amount of steady state fixed-capital investment required to maintain the road network.

 On 26 January, I announced details of the investment programme for 2016 for regional and local roads. As the Deputy is aware, the financial crisis resulted in major cutbacks in funding for regional and local roads and it is going to take some time to build up expenditure again.  The 7 year transport Capital Plan does provide for the gradual build up in capital funding for the road network from the current relatively low base towards the levels needed to support maintenance and improvement works over the period of the plan.

  As the purpose of Exchequer funding is to supplement the own-resources spending of local authorities, I am emphasising to local authorities the importance of prioritising expenditure on roads when allocating own resources, including revenue from Local Property Tax receipts. 

In addition to the State grant allocations already made to local authorities, funding of €106 million is being earmarked to assist in the repair of transport infrastructure damaged in the recent storms and floods and to take preventative measures, where appropriate.  My Department will be liaising closely with local authorities on the work needed to deal with the damage.