Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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43. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the status of the local improvement scheme to local authorities throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24823/18]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) is a scheme for improvement works on small private/non-public roads. The type of roads covered under the scheme are not under the normal maintenance of the County Councils. However, they provide vital links for people living in rural areas and need to be maintained to enable people living in rural Ireland to access their homes, farming land, or amenities.  

For many years, there was no dedicated funding for LIS, due to the constraints on the public finances.  However, in September 2017 I announced the provision of €10 million to Local Authorities for a Local Improvement Scheme.  Based on demand and the capacity of Local Authorities to complete works before the end of 2017, I allocated an additional €7.4 million to Local Authorities for LIS roads at the end of November.

I launched the 2018 LIS scheme last February last with an indicative allocation of €10.8 million to the relevant Local Authorities. This funding will support repairs to more than 400 additional roads, bringing the total number of LIS roads which will have benefitted from the scheme since last September to over 1,100.

The table below outlines, on a county by county basis, the number of roads selected by Local Authorities for improvement works under the scheme in 2018, and the total grant by my Department towards the cost of these works. Detailed information regarding the roads to be completed in each Council area can be found on my Department's website at www.drcd.gov.ie.

LIS 2018: County Allocations: