Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 July 2026
257. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Transport to provide a breakdown of the cap ex and op ex funding, respectively, allocated to the roads budget in each of the years 2020 to 2025 and to date in 2026, in tabular form. [50751/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra258. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Transport to provide a breakdown of the cap ex and op ex funding allocated to regional roads in each of the years 2020 to date, in tabular form. [50752/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra259. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Transport to provide a breakdown of the cap ex and op ex funding allocated to local roads in each of the years 2020 to date, in tabular form. [50753/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra262. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Transport to provide a breakdown of the cap ex and op ex funding allocated to roads maintenance on regional roads in each of the years 2020 to date, in tabular form. [50759/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra263. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Transport the provide a breakdown of the cap ex and op ex funding allocated to roads maintenance on local roads in each of the years 2020 to date, in tabular form. [50760/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 257 to 259, inclusive, 262 and 263 together.
In accordance with Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993, as amended, the improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority. Work on such roads is funded from Councils' own resources, supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of work to be funded is a matter for local authorities.
For 2026, €718 million was allocated by the Department of Transport, under the Regional and Local Roads Grant Programme, for improvement and maintenance work, with approximately 90% of this funding allocated to road maintenance and renewal. This will facilitate an increase in funding allocation of €26 million in 2026 for road protection and renewal works.
As regards the basis for allocating grants, within the budget available to the Department for regional and local roads, grant funding for maintenance purposes is allocated on the basis of grant programmes and not on the basis of the category of road. The allocation of funding across specific roads or across categories is a matter for each local authority, having regard to the funding available to it from local and central sources as well as its particular priorities.
The main regional and local road grant programmes are focused on specific policy objectives i.e. surface sealing to protect the road surface from water damage, road strengthening based on pavement condition rating to lengthen the life of roads and a Discretionary Grant Scheme which allows for a specified range of activities including winter maintenance. These three grant programmes account for most of the grant funding and are allocated taking into account the length of the road network in a particular local authority area. Apart from a requirement that 15% of the road strengthening grant is spent on regional roads, the allocation of funding to different categories of road is entirely a matter for decision by each local authority.
As regards the total funding allocated to and drawn down by local authorities by grant type for the years 2020-2025, details of the regional and local road allocations and payments to local authorities are outlined in the regional and local road allocations and payments booklets which are available on the Oireachtas Digital Library.
Full details of the 2026 regional and local grant allocations are available at: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-transport/press-releases/ministers-for-transport-announce-over-15-billion-for-national-regional-and-local-roads/
As Minister for Transport, I also 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 management 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 Infrastructure Guidelines and the necessary statutory approvals.
National roads allocations for years 2020 -2025 are available at: www.tii.ie/en/tii-library/reports-accounts/
Full details of national roads allocations for 2026 are available on the TII website: 2026-tii-la-national-roads-allocations-booklet.pdf
Noting the above position, I have referred your question to TII for a direct reply regarding a breakdown of funding allocated to maintenance on national roads. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.
