Senator Aisling Dolan - Strong Voice, New Vision.
Funding allocation of €1,541,106 for repairs and improvement works on non-public rural roads and laneways under the Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) will contribute to development of rural communities in Roscommon, a Fine Gael Senator has said.
This allocation of over €1.5 million under the Local Improvement Scheme for County Roscommon is a game-changer for people living on private roads all over the county. It targets road access to homes and farms, which is fundamental for families and farmers all over who need better quality roads. We have many smaller roads, laneways and boreens across the county that have been upgraded thanks to this fund.
To thank the Councillors for their work here and in particular my Fine Gael colleagues Cllr Liam Callaghan and Cllr John Naughton on their work with local communities.
I want to acknowledge the work of Minister Heather Humphreys in the Department of Rural & Community Development which provides this funding for local roads to the County Councils. This funding initiative was introduced by Fine Gael in government in 2017 and to back families living in rural areas. Between 2017 and 2023 over €130 million has been allocated to local authorities under the Local Improvement Scheme. This has upgraded, up to end of 2023, over 4,000 non-public roads and lanes which has benefitted almost 20,000 landowners and residents in these rural areas.
In County Roscommon alone over 250 local roads have received funding from 2017 to 2023 and this investment has been crucial in terms of access for so many families all across the county.
There is a major adjustment this time to the LIS criteria, where now only one herd number is required for a valid application, a change from the previous requirement of two.
This amendment will substantially increase the number of eligible families and farms, facilitating broader access to this crucial funding. This responsive adjustment, made after listening to feedback reflects Fine Gael's adaptive approach to meeting rural development needs.
Furthermore, the extension allowing local authorities to utilise their funding allocation across both 2024 and 2025 provides the necessary flexibility to schedule works during favourable weather conditions, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in improving our rural infrastructure.
I encourage all eligible residents in Roscommon to engage with their local authority to benefit from this opportunity.
