Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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117. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will consider including former Cork County Council roads, now under the jurisdiction of Cork City Council, for consideration under any future rounds of the local improvement scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37185/25]

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

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 €2.87 million to Cork 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.

Cork City Council has not been eligible for funding under LIS. This is due to the nature of the scheme, which provides funding for improvement works on small private or non-public roads in rural areas and is typically linked to access to agricultural land. I have no plans at present to broaden access to the scheme to the city councils, as my focus is on addressing the existing demand under the current configuration of the scheme.

William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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118. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to provide an update on funding to help local authorities carry out improvement works on private and non-publicly maintained roads, given the importance of rural infrastructure and connectivity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38239/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) is a key support for rural communities in improving non-public roads and laneways that are not usually maintained by local authorities. Since its reintroduction in 2017, the government has provided almost €170 million to local authorities under the Scheme. This has resulted in the completion of over 4,800 roads, benefitting over 20,000 landowners and residents in these rural areas.

In April 2024, €40 million in funding was announced for LIS across all local authorities to cover the period from 2024 to 2025. This figure included its 2024/2025 allocation of €1.1 million to Laois County Council.

The Programme for Government commits to supporting rural communities, including increasing funding under the Local Improvement Scheme. My Department is currently engaging with the ongoing review of the National Development Plan to increase the capital allocations for schemes such as LIS. The scheme has consistently been prioritised for funding, and I will ensure that increasing funding to the LIS will continue to be a priority in 2025.

As in previous years, I will also continue to monitor capital expenditure across my Department as the year progresses. Should any savings emerge in the coming weeks, there is potential to utilise such savings for schemes such as the Local Improvement Scheme, which would enable additional works to be carried out before the end of the year.