Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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162. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the total allocation for roads nationwide for the past five years; and the allocation for 2025. [2442/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for overall policy and exchequer funding in relation to the National Roads Programme. Since 2020, my Department has allocated approximately €2.7 billion in capital and current funding for the construction of new national roads, and the protection and renewal of the existing network. The allocations for national roads for 2025 are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

With regard to Regional and Local roads, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993, each local authority has statutory responsibility for the improvement and maintenance of their regional and local roads. Works on those roads are funded from local authorities' own resources and are supplemented by State Road grants. Of these grants, the vast majority (approximately 90%) are targeted at the maintenance and renewal of the network with c. 10% of the remaining funding invested in new roads/bridges or for road realignments.

The Department's grant funding for the maintenance of regional and local roads is allocated to local authorities on a pro-rata basis, determined mainly by the length of the regional and local road network in a local authority functional area. The main focus of the grants continues to be the protection and renewal of the regional and local road network.

Since 2020, the Department of Transport has allocated approximately €3 billion of capital and current exchequer funds to Local Authorities for the protection and renewal of the regional and local road network.

Grant allocations for 2025 will be notified to local authorities in the coming weeks.