Road Network Seanad Éireann — 2026-09-30 ============================================================ Catherine Ardagh (FF), Dublin South-Central I thank Senator Gallagher for raising this issue. I note he has raised it on many platforms, not just this good House. I also note his advocacy for our local roads, but especially how important it is for those living in rural parts of our country who do not have access to regular buses or light trams. I thank him for tabling this Commencement matter. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister for Transport. I will bring back any arguments the Senator has to him. Local authorities are responsible, by statute, for the maintenance and improvement of the regional and local roads present in their respective areas of responsibility. Any work undertaken on these roads is funded by the resources of the local authority concerned and, where eligible, this is supplemented by the Department of Transport’s regional and local roads grant programme. The initial selection and prioritisation of work to be funded is a matter for local authorities. The regional and local roads grant programme is primarily targeted at the maintenance and renewal of our existing roads network, with the remainder invested in new roads, new bridges and road realignments. The funds available through this programme have been steadily increasing in recent years. For 2026, €718 million was made available, which will facilitate an increase of €26 million for road protection and renewal throughout Ireland. I note the Deputy's comments, however, in relation to material inflation and cost inflation. The grant programme operated by the Department is focused on specific policy objectives. Restoration maintenance grants look to pavement sealing to protect the road surface from water damage. Restoration improvement grants look to road strengthening to lengthen the life of road pavements. The discretionary grants available allow for a range of activities, including pothole repair, edge strengthening, renewal of signs and lines and winter maintenance. These three grant programmes account for most of the funding available. The basis for determining the allocations for each local authority, under this grant programme, is related to the total number of kilometres of regional and local roads within their areas of responsibility. This is held as being the most equitable method of distribution. The current rate of inflation, level of population, or availability of other means of transport are not factors that are taken into consideration, but they probably should be. For 2026, allocations were notified to local authorities on 17 February. Cavan and Monaghan County Councils were allocated over €19 million and over €17 million, respectively, with most of this funding directed towards protection and renewal. In addition to this, in 2024 and 2025, both Cavan and Monaghan County Councils received funding for several pilot projects relating to road materials and the Department is appreciative of the assistance provided in the delivery of onsite works under the reclaimed asphalt pavement project. It should be noted that Exchequer funding for regional and local roads is intended to supplement realistic contributions from local authorities’ own resources. As the statutory road authorities for their areas, it is open to local authorities to prioritise own-resource investment towards regional and local roads. In addition to the funding provided under the regional and local roads grant programme, national roads were also provided funding. For 2026, Cavan and Monaghan County Councils were allocated €5.8 million and €10.1 million, respectively. This funding supports the maintenance and improvement and the progression of new roads projects. Owing to the damage caused by Storm Chandra earlier this year, while Cavan County Council did not seek any additional exceptional funding, Monaghan County Council was allocated €900,000. The difficulty in delivering road programmes within existing budgets is understood, as is the additional difficulty due to the variability in the market and the cost. While there may be existing provisions within existing contracts that can be utilised, ultimately it is a matter for local authorities to prioritise work and determine what can best be achieved with their existing budgets. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-09-30/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-09-30