Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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582. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if a funding application has been received to date for the Julianstown bypass; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50376/18]

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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583. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if there has been engagement between his Department and Meath County Council regarding the worsening traffic conditions on the R132 through Julianstown with a view to advancing the case for a bypass; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50377/18]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 582 and 583 together.

The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of the relevant County or City Council, 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 Council.

Prior to the financial crisis, applications for funding for road improvement projects would have been considered as part of the Specific Improvement, and Strategic Regional and Local Road Grant Schemes. However, the extent of the cutbacks in grant funding during the crisis meant these grant schemes had to be curtailed after 2013 because expenditure on maintenance/renewal was falling well short of what was required to adequately maintain the regional and local road network.

The NDP does provide for the gradual build up in funding for the road network but it will take some years yet to reach the level required for the adequate maintenance and renewal of the network. For this reason there is limited scope at present for funding projects under the Specific and Strategic Grant Programmes.

Any projects proposed by local authorities for consideration under the Specific and Strategic Grant Programmes are assessed by the Department on a case-by-case basis. All projects put forward by local authorities for consideration must comply with the requirements of the Public Spending Code and my Department's Capital Appraisal Framework and it is important for local authorities to prioritise projects within their overall area of responsibility with these requirements in mind.

Under the capital project appraisal process a Preliminary Appraisal has to be submitted in relation to each proposed project. Once an appraisal is received it is assessed taking into account other competing projects and the overall roads budget. The Department's Engineering Inspectors liaise on a regular basis with local authorities regarding their regional and road network. To date no application has been received by my Department from Meath County Council in relation to a bypass of Julianstown.