Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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109. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if an emergency fund will be made available to ensure that path surfaces and lighting are of a decent quality for paths and routes that persons regularly use in the lockdown (details supplied). [9805/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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There are currently no plans to introduce emergency funding for the projects identified by the Deputy. More generally, the improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from a Council's own resources supplemented by State road grants. State road grant allocations for 2021 were notified to local authorities earlier this month. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for a Council.

It should also be noted that the new Programme for Government – Our Shared Future sets out an ambitious and wide-ranging set of commitments in relation to walking and cycling, supported by an increased multi-annual budgetary allocation amounting to some €1.8 billion over the lifetime of the Government. The National Transport Authority (NTA) allocates funds at project level and works in conjunction with the relevant local authorities to deliver improved walking and cycling infrastructure across the country.