John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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902. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the up to date data in respect of the number of roads, kilometres of road and square meterage of roads being completed per local authority area under the local improvement scheme, including the amount of money spent per annum and roads and area completed for each year since 2019, in tabular form; if he is concerned that the value for money being achieved in his constituency is not being achieved in many other constituencies; if he will seek to establish how such large variations exist in terms of outcomes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35304/25]

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

My Department officials have received submissions from all 25 local authorities in respect of proposed 2025 LIS works and have given sanction for these works to begin. Local authorities have until November to complete works and drawdown grants in respect of works completed in 2025.

While the Department provides funding for the scheme, it is administered by local authorities who hold responsibility for selecting and prioritising roads. When assessing applications and costing proposed works, local authorities are bound by the procurement and tender process in line with Public Spending Code guidelines.

In terms of relative costs, direct comparisons across counties may not reflect the range of factors which impact the costs of LIS works undertaken. This can include total area of the roads in question, geographic location and topography and the varying condition of roads on the ground. The cost of materials has also significantly increased in recent years, and availability of labour varies from county to county.

The Department keeps the operation of the scheme under ongoing review, considering ways to improve funding distribution and ensure the process remains fair and effective.Additionally, LIS funding is also subject to the range of control and evaluation procedures implemented by my officials such as the annual programme of on-site inspections and the rolling series of internal audit reports.

The table at the following link outlines the data requested by the Deputy from 2019-2024.