Eamon Scanlon (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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537. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if additional funding will be provided for the local improvement scheme to local authorities particularly in counties Sligo, Leitrim, Donegal and Roscommon in order to clear the backlog of applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4102/19]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Local Improvement Scheme, or LIS, is a programme for improvement works on small private or non-public roads in rural areas. The scheme is now funded by my Department and is administered through the Local Authorities. It is a matter for the Local Authorities to prioritise the roads to be completed under the scheme.

As the Deputy may be aware, there was no dedicated funding for this scheme for a number of years due to constraints on public expenditure. However, I was very conscious of the underlying demand for the scheme in rural areas throughout the country.

I reintroduced the LIS in September 2017 and allocated a total of €17.4 million to Local Authorities for LIS roads in 2017.

In 2018, I allocated almost €21 million for LIS roads in two phases.

It is clear that there is a continuing demand for LIS funding in rural communities across Ireland, and I have therefore secured an allocation of €10 million for the scheme in my Department's Estimate for 2019. I will be announcing details of LIS 2019 in the coming weeks.