Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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497. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to allocate significant additional funding to roads in counties Cavan and Monaghan in budget 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26492/18]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is a statutory function of local authorities in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act, 1993. Works on these roads are a matter for the relevant local authority to be funded from its own resources supplemented by State road grants.

Within the budget available to the Department, grant funding is allocated on as fair and equitable basis as possible. In this context, grants in the main grant categories are allocated based on the length of regional and local roads within a local authority area of responsibility and it is envisaged that grants will continue to be made available on that basis.

The grant allocations for 2019 will be decided following the conclusion of the Estimates process.

As State grants are intended to supplement local authority funding, my Department continues to emphasise to local authorities the importance of prioritising roads’ maintenance when allocating their own resources.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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498. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if funding will be granted to address bad road conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26493/18]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of local authorities, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from the Council'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.

Within the budget available to the Department, grant funding is allocated on as fair and equitable basis as possible. In this context, grants in the main grant categories are allocated based on the length of regional and local roads within a local authority area of responsibility and it is envisaged that grants will continue to be made available on that basis.

All grant funding available to my Department has now been allocated. It is a matter for each Council to determine its priorities and decide its work programme taking available of grant funding and its own resources into account. I always stress to Councils the importance of prioritising roads when allocating their own resources.