Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
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87. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development to outline his Department's efforts to address the backlog of local improvement scheme applications with Galway County Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25391/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) supports improving non-public rural roads and laneways not usually maintained by local authorities. Since its establishment in 2017, the government has provided almost €170 million to local authorities for LIS.

In April 2024, €40 million in funding was announced for LIS across all local authorities to cover 2024/2025. This figure includes its 2024/2025 allocation of €3.09 million to Galway County Council.

While the Department provides funding for LIS, the scheme is administered by local authorities responsible for selecting and prioritising roads. Applications are received directly by local authorities, who engage with scheme beneficiaries. Local authorities are also responsible for managing waiting lists and selecting priority road projects to be completed in their county each calendar year. My Department allocates scheme funding on a local authority basis, and authorities decide on allocations across their areas.

The Programme for Government commits to the support of rural communities including a commitment to increase funding under the LIS and I will work to ensure that the Scheme continues to be well funded in the coming years. My Department is engaging with the ongoing review of the National Development Plan with a view to increasing the capital allocations for schemes such as LIS.

As has been the case in recent years, I will also continue to monitor capital expenditure across my Department as the year progresses, with the potential to utilise any savings that may arise elsewhere for schemes such as the LIS.