Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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615. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if a road (details supplied) in County Kerry will receive funding for bridge works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8481/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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​The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of the local authority, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from the local authority's 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. While notification of the flooding damage in Cahersiveen, including the culvert on the Killoe Road, was received from Kerry County Council in October 2016, all available funding under the Severe Weather Grant made available to local authorities last year on the basis of additional funding sanctioned by Government had been allocated by then and no separate allocation could be made. Kerry County Council had to  prioritise the works that could be completed within their Severe Weather grant and it is understood that the Council did undertake some remedial works in the Caherciveen area but not on this particular culvert. This project would need to be addressed within the normal allocations made available to the Council or the Council's own resources as all available grant funding for 2017 has now been allocated.

In this context my Department  allocates funding to Local Authorities under a Bridge Rehabilitation Grant Programme. Under this programme local authorities submit a list of bridges in order of priority for consideration for funding. Kerry County Council were allocated €237,637 under this programme in 2017 but the Council did not submit an application for reconstruction of the culvert at Killoe Road.