John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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196. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the strategic assessment report submitted by Kilkenny County Council for the next phase of the ring road will be expedited and approved; if approval will be given to the Council to appoint consultants to examine the route options; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52559/22]

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 local authorities' own resources supplemented by State road grants.  The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the local authority.

The major cuts to funding for regional and local roads during the post 2008 recession resulted in the build-up of a substantial backlog of works across the country.  The estimated cost of the backlog is in excess of €5 billion. Because of the pressures on the regional and local road network, approximately 90% of available Exchequer grant assistance to local authorities for regional and local roads is being directed to maintenance and renewal works rather than for new roads or for road realignments.

Any road improvement projects proposed by local authorities for consideration for funding 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 my Department's Capital Appraisal Framework.

The revised Public Spending Code requires a Strategic Assessment Report (SAR) for all projects with an estimated expenditure of €10 million or more. The SAR is now a key deliverable at the first decision stage in the project appraisal process. A draft SAR has recently been received from Kilkenny County Council concerning options in relation to a proposed Kilkenny Northern Ring Road Extension. The SAR will be reviewed for compliance under the Public Spending Code.