William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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268. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to provide retrospective funding to Laois County Council for the construction of the Portlaoise western distributor road which is key infrastructure relieving town centre traffic, unlocking new development zones at Junction 17, supporting the Portlaoise low carbon town initiative and providing accessible facilities for all road users while integrating with broader transport ambitions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38770/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority and Exchequer funding is intended to supplement local authorities’ own resources.

Any road improvement projects that seek State funding are assessed by the Department on a case-by-case basis. All projects proposed by local authorities for consideration must comply with the requirements of the Infrastructure Guidelines (formerly the Public Spending Code) and the Department's Transport Appraisal Framework. Given the limited funding available for regional and local road improvement works it is important for local authorities to prioritise projects within their overall area of responsibility with these requirements in mind.

In this context, it is not possible to provide retrospective funding to Laois County Council for the construction of the Portlaoise Western Distributor Road.