The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads in its area, is a statutory function of each road authority in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act, 1993. Works on such roads are a matter, in the first instance, for the relevant local authority to be funded from its own resources supplemented by State road grants. The National Roads Authority (NRA) issued a circular earlier this year to all local authorities inviting applications for consideration for funding in 2013 under the Specific Improvement Grants Scheme. All applications are being considered currently and will be assessed having regard to the eligibility criteria, the need to prioritise projects, competing demands from other local authorities and the reduced funding available for the scheme in 2013. I will announce the 2013 regional and local road grant allocations early in the new year.