Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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22. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the funding provided to Monaghan County Council for local road maintenance and resurfacing in each of the years 2010 to 2020, in tabular form; the allocation approved for 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16086/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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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 Councils’ own resources supplemented by regional and local road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the Council.  

As regards the funding provided to Monaghan County Council for local road maintenance and resurfacing in each of the years 2010 to 2020, details of the regional and local road grant allocations and payments to local authorities are outlined in the regional and local road allocations and payments booklets which are available in the Oireachtas Library.

As indicated in the allocations and payments booklets, grants are allocated by type of grant programme not categories of road. For the Deputy's information an explanation of the purpose of the main Regional and Local Road Grant Programmes is set out below:

Restoration Maintenance (RM): The purpose of the RM grant is to protect the structural integrity of the road by way of surface dressing through the sealing of the road surface.  The purpose of restoration maintenance is to maintain the asset before it requires improvement.

Restoration Improvement Grant (RI):The RI grant programme is the main road strengthening programme and caters for surface restoration, pavement overlay works, complete road rehabilitation works and for drainage works where required.

Discretionary Grant (DG): Councils have discretion in spending these grants for improvement and maintenance works subject to selecting from a list of eligible works. However Councils are requested to prioritise projects which involve strengthening works, remedying road defects, winter maintenance and drainage works.

Bridge Rehabilitation (BR):This programme allows local authorities to apply for monies to undertake bridge rehabilitation works.

Safety Improvement Works (BS): This programme allows local authorities to apply for monies to undertake safety improvement works.

Community Involvement Scheme (CIS)facilitates community involvement in the repair and improvement of roads.

Drainage Programme:The purpose of this grant is to promote network resilience.

Former National Roads (FN): The purpose of this grant it to provide assistance to local authorities specifically for the maintenance of former national roads.

Specific Grant and Strategic Grants: The Department no longer seeks annual applications from local authorities in respect of the Specific and Strategic grant programmes. Instead it considers projects on a case by case basis taking into account the availability of funding and the outcome of project appraisals.

The table below outlines the 2021 grant allocations for Monaghan County Council.

In addition funding applications are currently being sought for climate adaptation measures.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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23. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the length of local public roads eligible for maintenance funding within each local authority; the funding allocated to each local authority in 2020 for this purpose in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16087/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of local authorities, 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. Arising from the arrangements in place in relation to Local Property Tax receipts, the four Dublin Councils are largely self-funding for works on regional and local roads since 2015 and my Department no longer provides grants to these Councils under the main regional and local road grant categories.

Within the budget available to the Department, grant funding is allocated on as fair and equitable a basis as possible. In this context, grants in the main grant categories are allocated based on the length of regional and local roads within a local authority area of responsibility with additional weighting based on contributing traffic factors in specific areas.

The length of regional and local roads within each local authority that have been used as a basis for maintenance grant allocations with effect from 2020 is set out in the table below.

As regards the funding allocated to each local authority in 2020, details of the regional and local road grant allocations and payments to local authorities are outlined in the regional and local road allocations and payments booklets which are available in the Oireachtas Library.