Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

841. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position on the strategic road grant; and to consider providing funding to advance the Carrigaline western relief road project in County Cork. [22531/16]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

​The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads in its area is a statutory function of local authorities in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act, 1993. Works on such roads are a matter for the relevant local authority to be funded from its own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of projects to be funded from these monies is a matter for each local authority.

Under the Strategic Grant Scheme introduced in 2000 to facilitate housing and other development my Department has been providing grant assistance to Cork County Council in relation to the acquisition of land for the Carrigaline Western Relief Road. There is no grant commitment in place in relation to the construction of the road.

Given the cutbacks in State funding for regional and local roads since the financial crisis, it has been necessary to curtail the grant programme for major new regional and local road schemes and for major realignment schemes in order to protect the funding available for the maintenance of the existing network. In this context my Department is not operating an application process under these grant schemes.