As part of Our Rural Future, the Government is committed to ensuring that the Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) is funded into the future. This reflects the important contribution which the scheme makes to connectivity in rural Ireland.
LIS was reintroduced by my Department in 2017 following several years with no dedicated funding. Since then, almost €130 million has been allocated towards repair works on rural roads and laneways not normally maintained by local authorities. 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 2023 alone, I allocated almost €30 million in funding for LIS. This represents the highest annual investment under LIS ever and was the third consecutive year in which funding allocated to the scheme has increased. This reflects the priority that I have afforded to the scheme in recent years.
A number of factors are taken into consideration when allocating funding, the major factor being the amount allocated to LIS under the annual budgetary process. Funding allocations are not based on requests from individual local authorities, but instead are based on the overall envelope available, the area of each county, with a minimum and maximum ceiling applied.
In the past, I have announced a second round of funding when savings have been identified in other areas of my Department. In such instances, local authorities are then requested to submit a list of further roads they have the capacity to deliver in a given timeframe, and a second allocation of funding is provided based on the amount of works each local authority has indicated they can deliver.
The following table outlines the amount allocated to each local authority from 2017 to 2023.
LIS Allocations
County
|
2017 Allocation
|
2018 Allocation
|
2019 Allocation
|
2020 Allocation
|
2021 Allocation
|
2022 Allocation
|
2023 Allocation
|
Total Allocation
|
Carlow
|
€440,460
|
€528,279
|
€250,000
|
€250,000
|
€463,931
|
€944,082
|
€567,772
|
€3,444,524
|
Cavan
|
€335,080
|
€636,680
|
€269,254
|
€269,254
|
€1,119,389
|
€1,273,457
|
€1,741,411
|
€5,644,525
|
Clare
|
€866,774
|
€1,038,844
|
€480,811
|
€480,811
|
€828,528
|
€1,238,015
|
€1,367,910
|
€6,301,693
|
Cork
|
€1,151,985
|
€1,700,000
|
€900,000
|
€900,000
|
€1,412,738
|
€1,298,240
|
€2,615,923
|
€9,978,886
|
Donegal
|
€3,384,000
|
€1,792,516
|
€677,456
|
€677,456
|
€1,188,403
|
€1,711,214
|
€1,890,509
|
€11,321,554
|
Galway
|
€1,368,651
|
€1,942,000
|
€856,959
|
€856,959
|
€1,580,871
|
€1,682,841
|
€1,518,259
|
€9,806,540
|
Kerry
|
€995,578
|
€1,209,990
|
€669,930
|
€669,930
|
€1,187,099
|
€1,495,490
|
€1,557,176
|
€7,785,193
|
Kildare
|
€0
|
€329,591
|
€250,000
|
€250,000
|
€495,586
|
€435,326
|
€304,736
|
€2,065,239
|
Kilkenny
|
€605,565
|
€679,683
|
€288,905
|
€288,905
|
€778,682
|
€628,610
|
€641,753
|
€3,912,103
|
Laois
|
€812,270
|
€568,255
|
€250,000
|
€250,000
|
€554,259
|
€860,277
|
€1,231,151
|
€4,526,212
|
Leitrim
|
€487,947
|
€550,120
|
€250,000
|
€250,000
|
€503,830
|
€1,081,038
|
€1,135,919
|
€4,258,854
|
Limerick
|
€544,861
|
€684,349
|
€384,092
|
€384,090
|
€1,504,659
|
€930,989
|
€1,182,549
|
€5,615,589
|
Longford
|
€302,443
|
€472,217
|
€250,000
|
€250,000
|
€393,041
|
€465,940
|
€593,350
|
€2,726,991
|
Louth
|
€250,000
|
€250,000
|
€250,000
|
€250,000
|
€417,821
|
€448,273
|
€422,764
|
€2,288,858
|
Mayo
|
€1,272,974
|
€1,843,235
|
€778,496
|
€778,496
|
€1,361,625
|
€610,944
|
€1,521,736
|
€8,167,506
|
Meath
|
€474,290
|
€773,404
|
€326,394
|
€326,394
|
€803,937
|
€569,299
|
€994,513
|
€4,268,231
|
Monaghan
|
€366,312
|
€540,841
|
€250,000
|
€250,000
|
€1,326,223
|
€932,889
|
€1,342,724
|
€5,008,989
|
Offaly
|
€676,155
|
€644,654
|
€278,871
|
€278,871
|
€545,240
|
€674,785
|
€704,325
|
€3,802,901
|
Roscommon
|
€421,258
|
€820,968
|
€355,104
|
€355,104
|
€445,495
|
€571,758
|
€512,825
|
€3,482,512
|
Sligo
|
€496,158
|
€606,870
|
€256,154
|
€256,154
|
€470,542
|
€358,030
|
€886,127
|
€3,330,035
|
Tipperary
|
€246,900
|
€794,400
|
€599,969
|
€599,969
|
€721,531
|
€1,125,773
|
€1,865,091
|
€5,953,633
|
Waterford
|
€718,689
|
€607,047
|
€258,802
|
€258,802
|
€872,759
|
€587,176
|
€817,570
|
€4,120,845
|
Westmeath
|
€516,324
|
€607,224
|
€256,433
|
€256,433
|
€628,389
|
€656,781
|
€515,416
|
€3,437,000
|
Wexford
|
€494,493
|
€511,410
|
€329,878
|
€329,878
|
€653,786
|
€781,027
|
€1,030,935
|
€4,131,407
|
Wicklow
|
€310,000
|
€668,135
|
€282,494
|
€282,494
|
€741,635
|
€637,748
|
€777,488
|
€3,699,994
|
Total
|
€17,539,167
|
€20,800,712
|
€10,000,002
|
€10,000,000
|
€20,999,999
|
€22,000,002
|
€27,739,932
|
€129,079,814
|