Written answers
Thursday, 11 July 2024
Department of Rural and Community Development
Road Projects
Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
467. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of roads per county or local authority which applied for works to be carried out under the local improvement scheme, in tabular form. [30755/24]
Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
469. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of roads per county or local authority which were approved for funding from the local improvement scheme, in tabular form. [30757/24]
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
I propose to take Questions Nos. 467 and 469 together.
The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) supports improving rural roads and laneways not usually maintained by local authorities. As part of Our Rural Future, the Government is committed to ensuring that the LIS is funded into the future.
While my department provides funding for the scheme, it is administered by each local authority, who are responsible for the selection and prioritisation of roads. Local authorities receive applications directly and then make a determination about the eligibility and prioritisation of roads for inclusion under the scheme based on criteria in any given year. Local authorities also decide whether or not to open the scheme to new applicants or to focus on existing lists.
As such, the Department has no information regarding the actual numbers of applications received by local authorities. The Department's role is to approve priority lists submitted to it by local authorities. As each year progresses, the Department maintains ongoing engagement with local authorities to accommodate any changes that might be required to priority lists due to local circumstances.
Below is a table outlining the final number of roads approved by the Department each year and completed per county since 2017.
County | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Carlow | 20 | 28 | 14 | 15 | 25 | 37 | 21 | 160 |
Cavan | 10 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 22 | 25 | 23 | 100 |
Clare | 28 | 30 | 12 | 12 | 20 | 25 | 22 | 149 |
Cork | 34 | 62 | 20 | 19 | 29 | 22 | 47 | 233 |
Donegal | 164 | 107 | 35 | 35 | 67 | 68 | 64 | 540 |
Galway | 57 | 69 | 36 | 30 | 49 | 50 | 39 | 330 |
Kerry | 41 | 61 | 21 | 9 | 18 | 23 | 23 | 196 |
Kildare | 0 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 6 | 49 |
Kilkenny | 16 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 19 | 11 | 11 | 89 |
Laois | 21 | 15 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 23 | 23 | 109 |
Leitrim | 20 | 24 | 11 | 9 | 17 | 31 | 24 | 136 |
Limerick | 18 | 22 | 13 | 8 | 42 | 27 | 17 | 147 |
Longford | 18 | 25 | 15 | 8 | 14 | 18 | 15 | 113 |
Louth | 8 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 62 |
Mayo | 89 | 144 | 74 | 53 | 91 | 31 | 67 | 549 |
Meath | 22 | 21 | 12 | 5 | 17 | 9 | 14 | 100 |
Monaghan | 21 | 28 | 14 | 12 | 26 | 14 | 30 | 145 |
Offaly | 23 | 31 | 16 | 14 | 29 | 32 | 26 | 171 |
Roscommon | 41 | 91 | 21 | 27 | 30 | 24 | 17 | 251 |
Sligo | 16 | 22 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 18 | 23 | 107 |
Tipperary | 10 | 32 | 21 | 20 | 25 | 35 | 40 | 183 |
Waterford | 17 | 20 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 82 |
Westmeath | 23 | 22 | 12 | 12 | 24 | 20 | 13 | 126 |
Wexford | 18 | 17 | 11 | 13 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 125 |
Wicklow | 7 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 8 | 11 | 71 |
Total | 742 | 932 | 412 | 350 | 660 | 608 | 619 | 4323 |
Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
468. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of roads per county or local authority which were not approved for funding from the local improvement scheme, in tabular form. [30756/24]
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS), funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development, helps local authorities improve small roads and laneways in rural areas not normally maintained by local authorities.
Eligible road projects are those that involve the construction or improvement of non-public roads as follows:
- to parcels of land, of which two or more are owned or occupied by different persons, one of which must be engaged in agricultural activities or
- for harvesting purposes (including turf or seaweed) for two or more persons or
- to at least one parcel of land owned or occupied by a person engaged in agricultural activities and which separately provides access for harvesting purposes (including turf or seaweed) for at least one other person.
The responsibility for determining the eligibility and selection of road projects to be completed within each county is a matter exclusively for each local authority. Local authorities submit their priority lists to my Department and each local authority retains the waiting lists of roads awaiting repair under the Scheme.
As such, the Department does not hold information regarding the number of roads per county or local authority area which were not approved for funding under LIS.
No comments