Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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159.To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the money allocated and disbursed under the community involvement scheme, respectively, in each of the years 2019 to 2024; and to clarify if money allocated/disbursed under the community involvement scheme is considered as capital allocations or clarified as current expenditure. [30922/24]

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

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 on the Oireachtas Digital Library.

In 2018, the Department introduced ring-fenced funding for Community Involvement Schemes (CIS). The purpose of the CIS is to facilitate local community participation in the repair of local roads. The focus of the programme is on the repair of more lightly trafficked public roads which might not be high on the list of a local authority's annual roadwork programme. Under the scheme a local community can contribute in money or in kind, for example by making labour or machinery available.

While community contributions in the range 15% to 30% had been required up to 2021, depending on the mix between works and monies, the contribution rate has now been reduced to a minimum of 10% for monetary contributions and 20% for works contribution. This is more in line with Local Improvement Scheme contribution rates.

In order to allow for sufficient planning and applications for this scheme, local authorities are invited to apply for funding for CIS projects for a two-year programme with the latest round of applications received in 2023 for the 2024/2025 period.

Grant allocations for 2024 were issued in February this year with €13m being made available to local authorities under the CIS grant.

The funding provided for the Community Involvement Scheme is considered as capital expenditure.