Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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1744. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will allocate a major increase in local improvement scheme funding to County Kerry and indeed all other Local Authorities who operate local improvement schemes to address issues (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46647/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not usually maintained by local authorities. Since its establishment in 2017, almost €170 million has been provided by Government to local authorities for LIS. This funding has so far resulted in improvement works on almost 4,500 roads, benefitting over 20,000 landowners and residents in these rural areas.

Since 2017, Kerry has been allocated a total of €10.35 million in LIS funding. This figure includes the 2024/2025 allocation of €2.57 million. Furthermore, Kerry County Council has advised that it has completed repair works on a total of 225 rural roads and laneways and has indicated that a further 28 roads will be completed in 2025.

While the Department provides funding for the Scheme, it is administered by each local authority, who retain responsibility for the selection and prioritisation of roads and management of waiting lists. It should be noted that the ability of local authorities to meet demand under the scheme is not purely a function of available funding, as other factors such as weather conditions and the availability of contractors and labour are also relevant.

In April of 2024, funding of over €40 million nationally was announced in for the 2024 and 2025 Schemes. This included additional once-off funding in respect of 2024 in order to help local authorities better plan their work programmes, thus supporting ongoing efforts to meet high demand at local level.

In response to feedback received from local representatives, the LIS criteria were amended to ensure that more families can qualify for the scheme. Previously, two landowners were required to be directly involved in agricultural activities - now this is the case for just one landowner.

Department officials continue to liaise closely with local authorities to ensure the efficient and effective delivery of the scheme.