Written answers

Tuesday, 26 April 2016

Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport

Local Improvement Scheme Expenditure

Photo of Noel GrealishNoel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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479. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the amounts actually spent on local improvement schemes in each local authority area in counties Galway and Mayo, in respect of each of the past five years; the projected spend for 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8112/16]

Photo of Paschal DonohoePaschal 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.

There has been longstanding provision for local authorities to seek community involvement in the improvement and maintenance work on suitable local roads and to facilitate this local authorities are able to allocate a portion of their grant funding to eligible schemes.A separate Community Involvement Scheme (CIS) pilot scheme did operate for two years in 2013 and 2014. Following its completion the scheme reverted back to allowing local authorities to set aside 7.5% of their Restoration Improvement (RI) and Restoration Maintenance (RM) grants for CIS schemes if they so wish. 

The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) provides funding for road and laneways that councils have not taken in charge.  That is, private roads and landways, and the maintenance and improvement of which is, in the first instance, a matter for the relevant landowner. A grant allocation was provided to local authorities towards LIS up to 2012.

While the LIS for regional and local roads remains in place, since 2012 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.  Where local authorities elect to operate the LIS, applications are made directly to the local authority.

As the operation of both the CIS and LIS schemes is managed locally by the relevant local authority my Department does not have details of applications in local authority areas or the costs involved.  A table is provided showing grant expenditure  on CIS schemes for County Galway and Mayo and the number of schemes involved for the two years the pilot CIS scheme was managed by the Department.

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County Galway
County Mayo
-2013201420132014
Grant Expenditure€160,221€168,878€231,787€677,687
Number of Schemes 1492927

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