Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 5 February 2025
1409. Deputy Frankie Feighan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if he plans to make an allocation of funding to local authorities under the LIS scheme in 2025; and if he will seek match funding from the Minister for Transport to boost the funding allocation to assist local authorities in reducing their LIS waiting lists. [3236/25]
View answerThe Programme for Government commits to the support of rural communities including a commitment to increase funding under the Local Improvement Scheme (LIS). LIS supports improving non-public rural roads and laneways not usually maintained by local authorities. Since its establishment in 2017, almost €170 million has been provided by Government to local authorities for LIS and this includes funding allocated for the period 2024/2025. This funding has resulted in improvement works on nearly 4,500 roads, benefitting over 20,000 landowners and residents in these rural areas.
I am conscious of the important supports provided to rural communities under the LIS, and I will be engaging with my colleague the Minister for Transport to request that his Department make a contribution to co-funding the scheme.
