An estimated 20,000 landowners and people living in rural areas benefitted from upgrades to non public roads and lanes over the six years to the end of 2023, according to the Minister for Rural and Community Development.

Minister Heather Humphreys said her department has allocated almost €170 million in funding under the Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) between 2017 and 2024.

Minister Humphreys told the Dáil yesterday (Thursday, May 9) that this has been used to upgrade, up to the end of 2023, “over 4,000 non-public roads and lanes”.

She added: “The LIS supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not normally maintained by the local authorities.

“I am acutely aware of the importance of the scheme to rural landowners and residents.”

But TDs also raised the issue of “obstacles that can arise” in relation to projects under the LIS with the minister in the Dáil.

One of these Fianna Fáil TD for Longford-Westmeath, Robert Troy, drew attention to the conditions that must be met to qualify for funding under the scheme.

These include:

  • Non-public roads that provide access to parcels of land of which at least two are owned or occupied by different persons, one of which must be for agricultural/harvesting purposes;
  • Roads or lanes that provide access for agricultural, harvesting purposes (including turf or seaweed) for two or more persons;
  • Non-public roads leading to important community amenities such as graveyards, beaches, piers, mountains, etc.

Deputy Troy asked for clarification from Minister Humphreys on the criteria for funding.

“Where one person on a lane refuses point-blank to participate – either financially or even to sign the form to let others do it – is there any way to get around that?” he queried.

Minister Humphreys

According to Minister Humphreys there has been “some important changes to the eligibility criteria following feedback received from various stakeholders”.

She said: “Local Authorities are – in my view, quite rightly – responsible for administering this scheme on the basis of local need.

“The scheme outline provides guidance to local authorities regarding the selection and prioritisation of roads in an effort to ensure a consistent and uniform approach by all Local Authorities.

“Projects that most require attention should be prioritised and consideration should also be given to other factors such as the condition of the road, the number of beneficiaries, how many parcels of land are served, accessibility issues and estimated costs.”

She also highlighted in the Dáil that last month she had secured “additional once-off funding” for LIS.

Minister Humphreys said that a record €40 million has been allocated for for repairs and improvement works on non-public rural roads and lanes across 2024 and 2025.