Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 January 2026
114. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Transport the number of community involvement scheme applications on hand per local authority; the amount of time the applications are on hand; if he intends to increase funding for the scheme given the volume of applications in the pipeline; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1248/26]
View answerI wish to thank the Deputy for his question.
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 these roads are funded from Councils’ own resources and supplemented by State Road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is a matter for the local authority.
As the Deputy is aware the Programme for Government commits to providing additional funding for the Local Improvement Scheme and the Community Involvement Scheme.
In 2018, the Department introduced ring-fenced funding for Community Involvement Schemes (CIS). The purpose of the CIS is to facilitate local community participation in repair of more lightly trafficked public roads which might not be high on the list of a local authority's annual roadwork programme. Under the scheme a local community can contribute in money or in kind, for example by making labour or machinery available.
While community contributions in the range 15% to 30% had been required up to 2021, depending on the mix between works and monies, the contribution rates were reduced to a minimum of 10% for monetary contributions and 20% for works contribution. This is more in line with Local Improvement Scheme contribution rates.
I am pleased to advise the Deputy that from 2026 the contribution rate for monetary contributions has been reduced to a minimum of 8%, with the contribution rate remaining at 20% for works contribution.
It should be noted that the Community Involvement Scheme is advertised and administered directly by the local authorities.
In 2025, €14.8 million was allocated to local authorities for Community Involvement Schemes.
In order to allow for sufficient planning and applications for this scheme, local authorities are invited to apply for funding for CIS projects for a two-year programme, with the latest round of applications received in late 2025 for the 2026/2027 period.
Grant allocations for 2026, including those for CIS, will be notified to local authorities in the coming weeks.
