Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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517. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to fund the regional road network nationwide, specifically those coded R; if his attention has been drawn to the importance of the regional road network; the funding made available for same since 2016, by county in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51140/19]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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518. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to introduce a strategic regional roads scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51141/19]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 517 and 518 together.

The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is a statutory function of each local authority under the Roads Act 1993, as amended, with works funded by Local Authorities’ own resources supplemented by State road grants, where applicable. The initial selection and prioritisation of works is a matter for each local authority.

There were major cutbacks in funding for the road network in general during the recession. Project Ireland 2040 provides for a gradual increase in grant assistance for regional and local roads and there has been a significant increase in Exchequer funding particularly in the last two years - the €483 million allocated this year represents an increase of nearly 50% compared to 2017. However, the amount available is not sufficient to achieve “steady state” levels of investment. For this reason, there continues to be very limited scope for funding road improvement projects under the Specific and Strategic Grant Programmes.

Within the budget available to my Department, grant funding is allocated on the basis of grant programmes and not on the basis of the category of road. My Department does not, therefore, have the details sought by the Deputy regarding funding for regional roads since 2016. The allocation of funding across specific roads or across categories is a matter for each local authority, having regard to the funding available to it from local and central sources as well as its particular priorities.

The main Regional and Local Road Grant programmes are focussed on specific policy objectives i.e. surface sealing to protect the road surface from water damage, road strengthening based on pavement condition rating to lengthen the life of roads and a Discretionary Grant Scheme which allows for a specified range of activities including winter maintenance. These 3 grant programmes account for most of the grant funding and are allocated taking into account the length of the road network and traffic factors in a particular local authority area.

The regional road network is an important component of the overall road network comprising over 13,000 kms and carrying approx. 30% of national road traffic. It is a requirement of Exchequer grants that at least 15% of the road strengthening grant is spent on regional roads.

A road condition survey of the whole regional road network was completed in 2011 and a new survey commissioned by my Department was undertaken in 2018. The results of this survey give a national overview of the current condition of the regional road network. As part of the survey various parameters were measured, including visual rating (PSCI), international roughness index (IRI), rut depth, mean profile depth (MPD) and Characteristic SCRIM coefficient (CSC). In general, the average values for each parameter were very similar in 2018 and 2011, despite the significant drop in investment in the same time period. Important values like IRI and PSCI had actually shown an improvement since 2011.

Nevertheless it is the case that there is still significant ground to be made up to improve the condition of regional roads. In light of the survey results, this year I introduced a pilot scheme to assist with the rehabilitation of former national roads.

The findings of the national survey have been conveyed to each local authority and can, therefore, be used to inform their prioritization of works and the allocation of grant funding and local authorities' own resources.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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519. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to the condition of the R312 road in County Mayo; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that it is the main road linking Erris to Mayo University Hospital and its condition is the cause of significant distress caused to persons accessing health services at the hospital especially via ambulance; if an emergency report on the condition of the road will be requested from Mayo County Council; and if the necessary support will be put in place for urgent works. [51142/19]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of the relevant local authority 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 prioritization of works is a matter for decision by the local authority.

Any projects proposed by local authorities for consideration under the Specific/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 the Department's Capital Appraisal Framework (CAF). Given the limited funding available for RLR improvement works it is important for local authorities to prioritise projects within their overall area of responsibility with these requirements in mind.

My Department has been providing grant support to Mayo County Council for the planning and design of a road re-alignment and bridge replacement scheme at Glenisland on the R312. The Council has recently submitted revised proposals for the scheme which are being reviewed.

It is also open to Mayo County Council to prioritise works on the R312 under the road surfacing and strengthening grant programmes. In this context Mayo County Council has received a significant increase in Exchequer grant support in the last two years in particular. Overall, the Council has seen an increase of over 33% in 2019 compared to 2017. I also continue to emphasise to Councils the importance of prioritising road maintenance and renewal when allocating own resources.

The regional and local road grant allocations for 2020 will be announced in the New Year.