Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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74. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development for details of the latest local improvement scheme waiting lists in Cork; if she will include the number of roads and estimated costs for Cork; if her Department will engage with private contractors to help local authorities that are struggling with capacity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40649/24]

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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79. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development to provide an update on the local improvement scheme, LIS; the measures this has supported in Meath; the amount of funding that was allocated to LIS in budget 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40520/24]

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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Will the Minister of State provide an update on the local improvement scheme, the measures this has supported in County Meath and the amount of funding allocated to the LIS in budget 2025, and will he make a statement on the matter?

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 74 and 79 together.

The local improvement scheme supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not usually maintained by local authorities. As part of Our Rural Future, the Government is committed to ensuring the LIS is funded into the future.

In April of this year, funding of more than €40 million for the 2024 and 2025 schemes was announced, which included additional once-off funding in respect of 2024. This announcement of scheme funding over two years was aimed towards helping local authorities better plan their work programmes, thus supporting their efforts in meeting the strong demand for the scheme at local level. The 2024-25 allocation brings the total amount of funding provided for the scheme to just under €170 million since 2017. To date, this funding has resulted in improvement works on more than 4,000 roads, benefiting almost 20,000 landowners and residents in these rural areas.

Since 2017, Cork has been allocated a total of €12.7 million in local improvement scheme funding. This figure includes the 2024-25 allocation of €2.8 million as well as a total allocation of €420,000 to fund repair works on Cork's island roads. Cork County Council has completed repair works on a total of 233 rural roads and laneways and has indicated that 31 roads will be completed by the end of 2024, with a further 14 roads to be completed in 2025.

Since the scheme launched in 2017, County Meath has been allocated a total of €5.5 million in funding. This figure includes the 2024-25 allocation of €1.3 million. Meath County Council has completed repair works on a total of 100 rural roads and laneways and has indicated that eight roads will be completed in 2024, with a further six roads to be completed in 2025.

While my Department provides funding for the scheme, it is administered by each local authority, which is responsible for the selection and prioritisation of roads in accordance with the eligibility criteria set out in the scheme outline. Local authorities may rely on existing waiting lists or reopen their lists to new applicants each year. Local authorities can complete repair works themselves or engage private contractors to complete works on their behalf in accordance with applicable procurement rules and public spending code guidelines.

For works completed in 2024, local authorities have until November to submit documentation to draw down funding. Following the completed drawdown process, an updated status relating to remaining demand will be available across local authority areas. It should be noted that local authorities can submit their 2025 priority lists for approval from January 2025. Should savings within the Department be identified, the Department will consider allocating an additional tranche of funding in 2025 to address the demand under the scheme. This approach has worked well in recent years in providing additional resources to local authorities.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. The funding is always welcome, but it does not go far enough. If you combine it with other improvement or involvement schemes like CIS, there is significant demand. There are long waiting lists. For those two schemes there is a ten-year waiting list in County Meath alone.

In terms of the level of funding, is there a consideration of the significant increase in costs to local authorities in delivering these works? The same applies to communities. Second, is there a review or a planned review of the eligibility criteria?

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I apologise to Deputy O'Sullivan. I did not realise the questions were grouped.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I did not realise either, so it is fine. The most welcome part of the Minister of State's few words was at the end where he said that if additional moneys become available, he might be able to supplement the budget, and he might need to do that.

I have been talking to local engineers in Cork. The price of tar or chip has more or less doubled since 2019. Due to the significant inflationary increase in doing the projects, since 2019 fewer kilometres are being resurfaced or repaired than before, despite the fact that budgets have increased overall. I believe it is imperative that we increase the overall budget. That needs to be done.

At a recent county council meeting, one of the directors said that funding is the significant limitation in expanding the programme and cutting through the waiting list. There are dozens of roads in Cork on a waiting list. To be fair to them, Deputies Michael Healy-Rae and Danny Healy-Rae raise this issue consistently. There are hundreds of roads on the waiting list in County Kerry. It is one of those programmes that encourages communities and individuals in private laneways to get together. It is imperative that we look at resourcing it.

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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I thank the Deputies. There was a recent review of eligibility. The scheme eligibility criteria were amended for 2024. Eligible road projects are those that involve the improvement of non-public roads which provide access to two or more parcels of land that are owned or occupied by different persons, one of whom must be using it for agricultural purposes or harvesting. Evidence of agricultural activity can be proven by other means than a herd number; for example, farm payments or mart receipts can be used. The reduction from two persons to one person was in response to feedback received from local representatives to help to ensure that more families can qualify for the scheme. The requirement that there be two or more land owners or occupiers linked to the road as part of the application remains. I am not sure whether there are further plans for review. However, that is the most recent change.

In regard to increased funding, the double allocation was in response to that to some extent. There was an issue with local authorities getting the single allocation late in the year but we were able to get around that this year by giving the double allocation in advance. As the Deputy has identified, if there are underspends we can try to move things around. If more resources become apparent through the course of 2025, we know that the LIS is something that can generally take that. That is not always the case. There is not always a direct relationship between funding and getting the job done, as the Deputies know. Sometimes there is difficulty with the local authority sourcing and finding contractors within the time allowed as well. That has been an issue in some counties. The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, knows the value of the LIS and has certainly made some changes recently to try to make its impact felt throughout the country even more.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. These popular schemes are oversubscribed. It is important for the Government to keep the issue under close review. In regard to the criteria, the Minister of State identified some of the challenges at local authority level, such as the increased cost of works and the smaller number of contractors available. We need to look at every flexibility that we possibly can. There is demand for this but also a huge need for it. We know that many lanes and non-public roads are in desperate need of maintenance and repair. This is important work. In my own county, there is huge demand for this, it is hugely oversubscribed and it is desperately needed. There is potential in it if it is adequately supported.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I will be brief because I have four supplementaries. First, will the Minister of State clarify that Cork County Council has drawn its full allocation from the previous year? I believe it has.

Second, the Minister of State mentioned the double allocation, and obviously that additional funding is welcome, but Cork County Council requested more than €5 million last year and received just €1.7 million. Such a massive shortfall leads to the expansion of the waiting list, not the cutting of it.

Third, Deputy O'Rourke touched on this issue in relation to private contractors. Are county councils allowed to engage with private contractors if they are struggling to maintain the workload themselves? Is that a local decision that can be made? Is there a policy direction from the Department?

Fourth, many of the former county areas absorbed into Cork City Council were due for LIS or CIS works at the time. They fell off the list when they were absorbed into the Cork City Council boundary. As I said to the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, previously, special provision should be made for those former county areas that were absorbed into the Cork city boundary because they are predominantly rural in their nature. I would appreciate it if that could be reviewed.

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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The Deputy will appreciate that I might not have the answers to all of the questions he has asked. As the LIS is not my dedicated function, I am not all over the detail. He asked about the level of drawdown by Cork County Council. My understanding is that the council fell short some years back but has improved its drawdown rate more recently. I will get some facts for the Deputy on that.

While I will have to confirm whether local authorities are allowed to engage with contractors, my understanding is that this is possible, absolutely. Really, the job of the local authority is to engage with contractors to get the job done. However, let me confirm that.

I am aware of some of the areas that were brought into the Cork City Council area. It is on the radar of the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, as well.

There was a fourth question that I do not recall.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I think it was about the full allowance being drawn down.

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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We will get back to the Deputy with some detail on that.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I am jumping all over the place because many Members are not here. We will move on to Question No. 91, which will be introduced by Deputy Martin Kenny; to be followed by Question No. 93, in the name of Deputy Darren O'Rourke; and Question No. 98, in the name of Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan.