Michael Murphy (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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213. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the statutory position regarding responsibility for local and regional roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67118/25]

Michael Murphy (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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246. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the annual allocation to each local authority for the maintenance and improvement of regional and local roads for each of the years 2020 to 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67105/25]

Michael Murphy (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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247. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which allocations to local authorities for regional and local roads have increased or decreased in real terms over the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67106/25]

Michael Murphy (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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253. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the respective roles and responsibilities of his Department and of local authorities in relation to the maintenance, management and funding of local and regional roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67112/25]

Michael Murphy (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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254. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the criteria used by his Department to allocate regional and local roads funding between local authorities, including factors such as network length, condition, traffic volumes and climate impacts; if he is satisfied that the current model is equitable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67113/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 213, 246, 247, 253 and 254 together.

The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from Councils' own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is a matter for the local authority.

On 14th February 2025 I announced an Exchequer investment of €713 million for our regional and local roads across the State which represents an overall increase of over 8% in funding this year. The main focus of the grants continues to be the protection and renewal of the regional and local road network.

As regards the basis for allocating grants, within the budget available for the regional and local road grant programme, the Department's grant funding for the maintenance of regional and local roads is allocated on as fair and equitable a basis as possible to eligible local authorities. In this context, grants in the main grant categories are allocated primarily based on the length of the road network within a local authority's area of responsibility with some account taken of traffic. It is envisaged that grants will continue to be made available on that basis.

Basing regional and local roads grant allocations on road conditions could result in an unequitable distribution of Exchequer funding. For example, local authorities that allocate higher levels of own resources funding to regional and local roads will have a larger proportion of roads with a higher condition rating than those with lower levels of own resources funding. Basing allocations on road condition could therefore disincentivise local authorities from allocating own resources funding to roads maintenance.

The Department appreciates that, within the overall parameters set for the grant programme, local authorities might need to target funding at particular problem areas and there is sufficient flexibility in the structure of the grant programme to allow for this. It is also open to each local authority to allocate its own resources to priority areas.

It should be noted that decisions regarding allocations to individual Municipal Districts are a matter for each local authority, taking into account the funding available to it from local and State sources as well as its particular priorities.

As regards the funding allocated to and drawn down by each local authority for the maintenance and improvement of regional and local roads in each of the past five years, details of the regional and local road allocations and payments to local authorities are outlined in the regional and local road allocations and payments booklets which are available on the Oireachtas Digital Library.