Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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522. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the expenditure under the regional roads programme in 2016 and to date in 2017; the expenditure of each project in terms of actual expenditure on road, planning or design costs and administration or other costs; the specific nature of each of these costs by local authority, in tabular form; if an assessment of local authority costs on all road projects was completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49204/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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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, prioritisation and timeline for commencement and completion of construction of works to be funded is also a matter for the local authority.

Each year the Department prepares and lodges in the Dáil Library regional and local road grant allocation and end of year payment booklets. Details of the regional and local road payments for 2016 and allocations for 2017 are, therefore, available in the Dáil Library.

Details of expenditure relating to regional and local roads Grant Programmes claimed by the end October 2017 are outlined in the table. 

The planning and implementation of individual projects within grant programmes is the responsibility of the relevant local authority. Grants are subject to the terms and conditions set by the Department, including, where applicable, competitive tendering for design consultants, advance works and construction contracts. 

The Department conducts spot checks on whether grants have been claimed in accordance with its terms and conditions and is also strengthening its road engineering inspectorate.