Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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19. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the total funding being made available to local authorities for roads for 2017; the specific figure for County Tipperary; the way in which they compare as a percentage, plus or minus, yearly, versus funding in each of the years 2010 to 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32675/16]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads in Tipperary is the statutory responsibility of Tipperary 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 Council.​

Ireland has an extensive regional and local road network at over 93,000 kilometres, the maintenance and improvement of which places a substantial financial burden on local authorities and on the Exchequer.  Due to the national financial situation, funding for Ireland's regional and local road network has been reduced significantly across the board in recent years.  Within the available budget, my Department aims to allocate funding on as fair and equitable basis as possible. In this context, grants in the three main grant categories (Restoration Improvement, Discretionary Grant and Restoration Maintenance) are allocated based on the length of regional and local roads within a local authority area of responsibility.

​The regional and local road network in Tipperary represents 5.9% approximately of the total network. The following table shows Tipperary's percentage of the total grants paid to local authorities over the period 2010 to 2015 and the 2016 allocations.  Account should be taken of the fact that a certain number of large, nationally significant projects have to be catered for each year from the total and as a result, in general the funding for individual counties is less than their share of the road network.

The 2016 figures include the additional severe weather funding allocated to local authorities.  If the Deputy requires additional information the payment and allocation details for each local authority are in the regional and local road booklets lodged by my Department in the Dáil library.

The allocations for 2017 have not been decided as yet.  I expect to be in a position to announce the grants early next year.  

*The 2016 figure is an allocation and includes €95.5m for severe weather. Final payments for 2016 will not be available until 2017.

As regards information on the position in relation to the funding provided for national roads, I am forwarding the Deputy's question to Transport Infrastructure Ireland for direct reply.