Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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122. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to increase the funding going to local authorities to help with road reinstatement and safety schemes for regional and local roads. [20408/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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In accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993, each local authority has statutory responsibility for the improvement and maintenance of their regional and local roads. Works on those roads are funded from local authorities' own resources and are supplemented by State Road grants. Of these grants, the vast majority (approximately 90%) are targeted at the maintenance and renewal of the network with c. 10% of the remaining funding invested in new roads/bridges or for road realignments.

As outlined in the 2024 Regional and Local Roads programme which I released on the 15th of February this year, the Government is strongly committed to protecting the existing regional and local road network. This network is fundamental in connecting people and places across the country.

Irelands regional and local road network spans over 96,000kms. The network requires significant funding to ensure it remains fit for purpose, safe and resilience. As such, €658 million was allocated to Regional and Local Road Grants in 2024, with approximately 90% of this funding being directed towards maintenance and renewal works. This represents an overall grant funding allocation increase of 5%.

In 2024, €10,587,330 has been allocated under the Safety Improvement Works Grant Programme to regional and local roads for 261 schemes across the State. At present, all funding under the Regional and Local Road Programme has been allocated.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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123. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if, given the horrendous weather over the past nine months, he will increase the total amount of funding in 2024 given to Tipperary County Council to help improve road surfaces throughout that local authority area. [20413/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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In accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993, each local authority has statutory responsibility for the improvement and maintenance of their regional and local roads. Works on those roads are funded from local authorities' own resources and are supplemented by State Road grants. Of these grants, the vast majority (approximately 90%) are targeted at the maintenance and renewal of the network with c. 10% of the remaining funding invested in new roads/bridges or for road realignments.

On 15th February an Exchequer investment of €658 million in our regional and local roads across the State was announced which represents an increase of €32 million over the 2023 allocations. Each local authority received an increase in funding for their Restoration Improvement grant. This Exchequer funding is intended to supplement realistic contributions from local authorities’ own resources.

Tipperary County Council received a total allocation of €35,772,945 this year which represents an increase of €2,240,546 in comparison to the 2023 allocation.

All exchequer funding for the Regional and Local Road programme for 2024 has been allocated at this time; however, each Council can liaise directly their assigned Departmental Engineer Inspector to discuss any unforeseen road deterioration in their region. The Department is fully committed to working with local authorities and helping them reprioritise work programmes as needed in order to retain a safe road network for all.

In line with established practice, the Department emphasises to local authorities each year the importance of setting aside a contingency fund to manage severe weather events, including flooding and cold weather.

As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for overall policy and exchequer funding in relation to the National Roads Programme. Under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 and in line with the National Development Plan (NDP), the operation and maintenance of individual national roads is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. This is also subject to the Public Spending Code and the necessary statutory approvals.

Noting the above position, I have referred your question to TII for a direct reply updating you as to works that are planned in Tipperary in 2024. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.