Written answers

Thursday, 17 December 2020

Department of Rural and Community Development

Local Improvement Scheme

Photo of James LawlessJames Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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20. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the level of funding allocated to each local authority for the local improvement scheme in 2020; the proposed allocation by county for 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43973/20]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, 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 which are not under the normal maintenance of the Local Authorities. The scheme is funded by my Department and is administered through the relevant Local Authorities.

Since the LIS was re-launched in 2017, over €58 million has been allocated to Local Authorities for improvements to over 2,300 qualifying roads under the scheme. This funding has made a significant difference to the access provided by these roads for over 10,000 beneficiaries.

An allocation of €10 million was made available for the LIS in 2020. Works under the 2020 scheme have now been completed with all funding has been drawn down by the Local Authorities. The 2020 LIS allocation for each county can be found on my Department's pages on the Gov.ie website. The level of funding for each county varied from a minimum of €250,000, to a maximum of €900,000, depending on the size of the county.

Recognising the value of the scheme for people living in rural areas, I secured an increase in the allocation for the Local Improvement Scheme in Budget 2021. Funding for the scheme next year will increase by 5%, to €10.5 million. The share of funding to be distributed to each county will be announced next year when I formally launch the 2021 scheme.

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