Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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524. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if Galway City Council can make an application to his Department for funding for LIS schemes in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8609/18]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) is a programme for improvement works on small private/non public roads and has been funded in the past by the Department of the Environment and Local Government and subsequently by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.

Funding for the LIS was limited in recent years due to constraints on the public finances. However, I recognised that there was a demand for the scheme across the country and, last year, I allocated €17.4 million to the scheme. The scheme was based on previous guidelines governing the LIS, and in particular, the Local Improvement Scheme Memorandum 2002, issued by the then Department of the Environment and Local Government.

The Memorandum outlines in detail the conditions governing the payment of grants to County Councils only, in respect of projects carried out under the LIS.  City Councils are not referenced in the Local Improvement Scheme Memorandum 2002.

The LIS provided much-needed support in rural areas in 2017 and I have allocated a further €10 million for the scheme this year. I currently have no plans to revisit the eligibility conditions outlined in the Local Improvement Scheme Memorandum 2002 for 2018. In this context Galway City Council will not be eligible to apply for funding under the 2018 LIS.