Road Network Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-22 ============================================================ Jerry Buttimer (FG), Cork South-Central I thank Senator Kennelly for again raising the important matter of the local improvement scheme. He is right. The profound weather is having a huge implication for these roads and I accept the points he made. It is not his first time raising the matter. I have listened to his contributions and will take them back to the Minister, Deputy Calleary. It is important to note that the focus of the scheme is to continue supporting the improvement of non-public rural roads and laneways that are not normally maintained by local authorities. The Senator is right that these roads are not luxuries. They represent a vital piece of infrastructure for the people he speaks about and champions, and he has done so regularly. They provide important connectivity in communities across rural Ireland, particularly in Kerry, enhancing access to homes, farmland and amenities. The support for these schemes can be seen in their popularity at local level. I can attest to the success of the scheme because of the level of demand and interest and the joy of people who are successful. Since the scheme was introduced in 2017, the Government has allocated over €201 million to local authorities. Our Rural Future, the Government's national rural development policy, clearly recognises the important role the LIS plays in rural Ireland and commits to ensuring that the scheme is funded into the future. The programme for Government also recognises the benefits provided under the scheme and is committed to provision of additional funding for the LIS. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, and I are committed to ensuring the scheme continues to be well funded in the coming years. In February, we confirmed funding of €17.5 million for the LIS in 2026, which represents an increase on the base funding announced in previous years. In August last year, and following the confirmation of €16.5 million in funding for 2025, we will likely be able to provide an additional second round of funding to local authorities under the 2025 scheme, which almost doubled the previous allocation committed and saw the 2025 budget increase to €30 million, the highest annual level since the scheme's introduction. Senator Kennelly will be glad to know that in County Kerry additional funding was made available to Kerry County Council under the second round of funding to the tune of €1.2 million. This brought the funding for Kerry last year to €22.2 million, which was a 44% increase in the budget from the previous year. I accept there are delays and people still waiting. Our Department provides funding for the scheme. It is administered by the local authorities, which are responsible for the management of waiting lists, scheme applications and determining the eligibility of roads. Our officials continue to be engaged with Kerry County Council to ensure that the funding is being fully utilised. While in previous years, as the Senator referenced, a number of small communities and local authorities did not spend their entire LIS allocation and returned money, we have asked our local government colleagues to ensure this will not happen again. To try to understand and limit underspends and maximise works completed each year, Department officials engage with local authorities to understand where full spending may not occur and the potential to redistribute funds to local authorities that may be in a position to utilise funds. As the Senator knows, County Kerry did not return money last year because it spent its full allocation. Using underspends from elsewhere our Department was able to provide a further €64,000 in works over and above the county’s approved budget. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, and I understand the importance of this scheme, which is about supporting the upkeep of non-public roads and laneways for people in rural Ireland and in particular for our farm families. These roads provide vital access to lands and rural homes. The scheme is also used to fund non-public roads leading to important community amenities such as graveyards, beaches, piers, mountain access points and other heritage or tourism sites. I reaffirm my commitment and that of the Minister to the local improvement scheme and commend the work of local authorities across rural Ireland that administer it, particularly Kerry. I thank the Senator for again raising the matter. It is a necessary support to encourage and maintain our rural communities and this is reflected in the Government’s and our commitment to the scheme. --- 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/2026-04-22/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:50+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-04-22