Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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233. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development his plans to provide specific funding to local authorities for the local improvement scheme in the road works programme for 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52581/17]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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My Department wrote to Local Authorities last August to establish the level of demand for a local improvement scheme this year. This is a nation-wide scheme which The Local Authorities were advised that any requests for funds would be subject to their capacity to complete any proposed works in 2017, and funding availability.

On 21st September last, I announced the provision of €10 million for a Local Improvement Scheme to support improvement works on private and non-public roads.

Based on demand for the scheme and the capacity of Local Authorities to complete works before the end of the year, I announced an additional €7.4 million for LIS roads at the end of November which has now been allocated to Local Authorities. There has been significant progress on the scheme, with registered expenditure of €14.1 million to date.

I recognise that there is an underlying demand for further LIS funding, as no dedicated funding stream has been available for these type of works for a number of years. I have therefore secured a further allocation of €10 million for LIS in my Department's Estimate for 2018. Allocations for 2018 are provisional and subject to the publication of the Revised Estimates Volume for Public Services.

Details of the 2018 scheme will be announced early in the New Year.